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 - May 04, 2010
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Need plants with red flowers to grow in shaded area in yard in Austin.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I have a shaded area where all the shrubs die. I would like to plant some flowers there instead of shrubs. What red flower plants can sustain a lot of shade.ANSWER:
You might want to explore what factors are causing the death of your shrubs: too wet, too dry, too shady? What kind of plants are providing the shade?
In the mean time, let me introduce you to an exercise called "Combination Search". Go to our Native Plant Database and scroll down to the Combination Search window. Select Texas under Select State, Herb under Habit, and Perennial under Duration. Under light requirement, check Part Shade or Shade (which ever applies); check Dry under soil moisture; and check red under flower color. Click the "Submit combination Search" button and you will get a list of plants from our NPIN data base with images that match these characteristics. By clicking on the name of each plant, you will pull up its NPIN page that contains descriptions of the plants along with growth requirements as well as more images. You can generate other lists by changing the choice in the categories.
Here is a short list of red-flowered plants that I found.
Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine)
Nyctaginia capitata (devil's bouquet)
Salvia roemeriana (cedar sage)
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow) aka. Turk's Cap
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Grass for shady area
June 21, 2011 - I need to find a grass that can grow in a shady area, with some sun. Drought resistant and preferably native to the area. Would like to find a sod if possible. I know it's not a great time to plant n...
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Native shrubs or ground cover for north-facing landscape in Ft. Worth
March 23, 2010 - Need native plant ideas for a landscaping bed against the house facing north. Already has 1 Beautyberry but two others died of root rot last year due to incredibly high water table in our area. Old ...
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ground covers for shady areas in New York City
June 27, 2011 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: What would be the best ground covers for big shady areas in New York City instead of lawns?
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Turks cap not blooming in Austin
June 03, 2008 - Why is my Turks Cap not blooming? It gets about an hour of sun in the morning, then shade for the rest of the day.
It gets watered with the sprinkler system that waters our lawn.
view the full question and answer
Pros and cons of Hydrocotyl bonariensis as lawn replacement
March 22, 2008 - Want to convert lawn TO dollar weed!
My Garland TX yard has become so shady over the years that I have a hard time with grass. A few years ago I noticed dollar weed in the grass which seemed to cre...
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