Native Plants
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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.
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Tuesday - March 30, 2010
From: Lathrop , CA
Region: California
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Plants for shade in Northern California
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What are good plants that grow and live in shade only?ANSWER:
You can find these for yourself by going to our Recommended Species page and choosing Northern California from the map or the pulldown menu. This will give you a list of almost 300 commercially available plants recommended for landscaping in California. You can limit those results to shade plants by using the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and selecting "Shade – 2 hrs or less" from the LIGHT REQUIREMENT area. You could also make selections in GENERAL APPEARANCE, LIFESPAN, SOIL MOISTURE, BLOOM TIME and BLOOM COLOR. Limiting your choice to "Shade – 2 hrs or less" will give you close to 50 plants to choose from. Here are some examples from that list:
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick)
Athyrium filix-femina (common ladyfern)
Claytonia sibirica (Siberian springbeauty)
Dicentra formosa (Pacific bleeding heart)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower)
Rhododendron macrophyllum (Pacific rhododendron)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
Solidago altissima (late goldenrod)
Here are some photos of the above plants from our Image Gallery:
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Native alterrnatives for Bermuda grass in shade
July 30, 2007 - I have Bermuda Tif 419 on my lawn. As expected, there are small areas in the shade that the Bermuda is not doing well in. What would happen if I spread Zoysia seed in those shady areas? Would it gro...
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Native grasses for dry shade in North Central Texas
March 09, 2008 - I live in North Central Texas and have an area that is 80% shade and a dry soil condition. What native grasses would be suitable for this location?
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Tree as shade alternative to carport in Austin
April 21, 2010 - Hello,
I'm looking for a small tree that could provide afternoon shade for two cars, as an alternative to a carport. When mature, the tree would need to be tall enough to grow around (and above) the...
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Bee-attracting vine for shade from St. Paul MN
June 02, 2011 - I need a vine for shade that attracts bees. I am in Minnesota, zone 4a.
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Plants for shade in Texas
September 14, 2008 - I am looking for shade tolerant shrubs to plant near our carport. We live in Plum Grove, near Splendora, Texas.
I don't want anything with thorns that will scratch the paint or me while getting i...
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