Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
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.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_10.gif)
Friday - May 15, 2009
From: Plano, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Groundcovers
Title: Groundcover for under oak in Plano, Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I live in Plano Texas USA. I have a huge live oak tree in my front yard and a large Cape Myrtle as well under these trees no grass will grow so we have dirt or mud when it rains. Fact is the front yard is pretty sparse of grass which is fine with me except we need to put some kind of ground cover that needs little attention, does well during drought, looks beautiful and deals well with the acidic conditions of the soil due to the oak leaves. Oh and I hate to mow so no mowing required would be blissful. What do you suggest????ANSWER:
With the Wasowskis' Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region as a guide, Mr. Smarty Plants chose a variety of groundcover plants that should work well in your area under your oak tree in the shade (less than 2 hours of sun per day) and/or part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun per day). Some of them will do well in full sun as well. No mowing required!Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort)
Calyptocarpus vialis (straggler daisy)
Carex blanda (eastern woodland sedge)
Packera obovata (roundleaf ragwort)
Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)
Pteridium aquilinum (western brackenfern)
More Groundcovers Questions
Groundcover for foot traffic in dry shade from Prineville OR
May 12, 2013 - I live in central Oregon. I have an area under a large elm tree that slopes on all sides and has lots of foot traffic and no sun. (my kids have a swing in the tree and play around it a lot.) It's a v...
view the full question and answer
Planting Garry Oak in Kinnikinnick in WA
May 09, 2015 - I want to plant a Garry Oak tree in my backyard in an area currently covered in kinnikinnick planted by the previous homeowner. The kinnikinnick covers a large area - about 10 feet in diameter. Even...
view the full question and answer
Flowering Shade Plant for California
February 21, 2016 - I have a house north facing that has a "flower bed" in front that unfortunately is shaded 100% of the time. There are roses in the bed currently (they came with the house) but they do poorly. We are...
view the full question and answer
Native Grasses for Houston, TX
April 06, 2015 - What native grasses can I use for my lawn in Houston, TX? It appears that Habiturf is not recommended for our climate. Is there another variety of seed available yet that I can use to start a small ...
view the full question and answer
Evergreen for sunny, dry area under a maple in Connecticut
October 10, 2015 - I have a sloped, very sunny, dry area under a maple. I was wondering if Sweet Fern would be a likely candidate for this area. I would like it to
be evergreen and to be able to survive under mounds of...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |