Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - September 29, 2007
From: Kempner, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for wildlife and trees for shade.
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We live in Kempner Texas, our land has mostly cedar trees. We would like to make a wildlife habitat on the back side of our property. Can you recommend plants that will grow in shade to partial sun, compatible with cedar and wildlife friendly? Also we want a good shade tree for our front.ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants has these suggestions for plants native to Lampasas County Texas that will benefit wildlife.Shrubs/Small trees:
The following shrubs or small trees have flowers that attract nectar-feeding insects and hummingbirds, their fruits provide food for a variety of mammals and birds, and their foliage provides nesting sites for birds.
Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)
Frangula caroliniana (Carolina buckthorn)
Mahonia trifoliolata (agarita)
Prunus mexicana (Mexican plum)
Rhus lanceolata (prairie sumac)
Viburnum rufidulum (rusty blackhaw)
Grasses:
Grasses are especially valuable to wildlife, plus these two are very attractive and will grow in shade and part-shade.
Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
There are many choices for a shade tree for your front yard and oaks are always a favorite. Mr. SP recommends that you avoid liveoaks and red oaks since they are particularly susceptible to oak wilt disease. However, there are several oaks for your area that are oak wilt resistant. These are:
Quercus muehlenbergii (chinkapin oak)
Quercus stellata (post oak)Besides oaks, Ulmus crassifolia (cedar elm) and Ulmus americana (American elm), are good shade trees and do very well with Juniperus ashei (Ashe's juniper), also called cedar trees.
If you would like a small tree with spectacular fall colors, you can't go wrong with Acer grandidentatum (bigtooth maple).
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Large shrub for screen in shade
June 11, 2008 - I am trying to find some large shrubs that will thrive in shade in the north Texas climate. This area will receive very little light during the day but need to grow quite large to hide a fence and cr...
view the full question and answer
Privacy hedge for shady area
March 27, 2009 - We are looking to plant a privacy hedge around the perimeter of our yard that will grow to 6 or 8 feet tall - some of the perimeter is exposed to sun and we will likely go with evergreen sumac - howev...
view the full question and answer
Starting shade-tolerant ground covers in New York
September 10, 2013 - Hi, I have seen some of the posts for shade-tolerant ground cover on the east end of Long Island and my question is process related. Now that I've identified the grasses/plants I need to keep my fro...
view the full question and answer
Plants for shade, poor soil in Park Ridge NJ
June 17, 2010 - Hello! I live in far northeast New Jersey, by the New York state border. I am looking for plants for areas of my lawn that nothing currently grows in - due to shade and poor soil quality - very rocky,...
view the full question and answer
Part sun and part shade
October 19, 2004 - What is the difference between part sun and part shade?
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |