Native Plants

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Wednesday - June 29, 2011

From: Smithville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Light requirements for Heartleaf Skullcap from Smithville TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

How much sun or shade does Heartleaf Skullcap need?

ANSWER:

Scutellaria ovata (Heart-leaf skullcap), which is native to your part of Texas, is a member of the Lamiaceae or mint family, and requires part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun a day) to shade (2 hours or less of sun a day), as do most mints.

If you go to our webpage on this plant by following the plant link above, you will find the Growing Conditions for this plant:

"Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Conditions Comments: Heart-leaf skullcap is an under-utilized plant for gardens. The showy blue flowers bloom on spikes similar in form to Salvia sp. It colonizes vigorously by underground, fleshy roots. Oily glands on the leaves make it possibly deer resistant. In winter, heartleaf skullcap displays evergreen foliage. Nectar source for adult butterflies."

From the Image Gallery

Heartleaf skullcap
Scutellaria ovata