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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Wednesday - August 20, 2014

From: Dallas, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Shrub for Dallas Street
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I am looking for a native shrub for Dallas, Texas. It is full sun with a maximum height of 3 feet to border the street edge of a shopping center. It will get irrigated.

ANSWER:

The first place to go to find a list of potential plants for your shady container is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: TX, Habit – Shrub, Duration – Perennial, Light Requirement – Sun, Soil Moisture – Moist, and Size – 3-6 feet.
The best plant to consider from this search is:

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii (Flame Acanthus) – A native deciduous shrub, 3-5 feet tall.  Reddish-orange tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds. Drought-tolerant. It takes well to shearing and can make a dense, low hedge.

Several other plants are suitable but their heights are taller than your requirements.

 

From the Image Gallery


Flame acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

Flame acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

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