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.
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Friday - July 24, 2015
From: Wichita Falls, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Drought Tolerant, Shade Tolerant
Title: Drought and Shade tolerant plants for Wichita Falls, TX
Answered by: Larry Larson
QUESTION:
I can find lots of information about planting drought tolerant, sun loving native plants, a number of which I've planted over the years. But I can find very little information about drought tolerant plants for areas of my garden that receive shade during at least 90% of the day during the summer. Can you provide me with some shade loving perennials that will last through the summer in the hot and dry climate of north Texas? Thanks!ANSWER:
Wow – That’s a challenge! Plants that like no sun, no water and are perennial to boot!
I checked with the Special Collections and a few plants came up, so that’s a good start. The first collection I came across was Drought Resistant Plants for Texas and Beyond.
These are searchable and when I selected Light Requirement: “Shade – 2 hrs of less” and Soil Moisture: “Dry –no signs of moisture” – 4 plants still remained. They are Forestiera pubescens (Stretchberry), Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (Turk's cap or turkscap), Ptelea trifoliata (Wafer ash) and Ruellia occidentalis (Western wild petunia). All are perennials.
Another list that would apply to Wichita Falls is Texas-North Central Recommended. Doing the same search on that yielded:
Trees: Fraxinus americana (White ash), Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar), and Quercus macrocarpa (Bur oak),
Shrubs: Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon), Rhus aromatica (Fragrant sumac), Salvia regla (Mountain sage),
Herbs: Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine), Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed susan), Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) [grass]
Just for completeness, I also looked over the previous Mr Smarty Plants questions and responses. You’re right, there are very few, and those that I found used pretty much the same method but applied to areas pretty far from you.
From the Image Gallery
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Nimblewill grass for a shady area in Dallas
April 04, 2013 - i have a very shady backyard and reading some of your post I think Muhlenbergia schreberi (nimblewill) will survive.
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Where can I buy the seeds?
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Container plants for cool weather in Cypress TX
October 02, 2011 - I am a novice gardener and I am looking for some ideas on potted plants for the fall/winter. They would be covered by a roof, but still susceptible to the elements. What can be planted now that will...
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July 30, 2007 - I live in Rockport, TX, and would like to plant a small, shaded triangular corner (bounded on 2 sides by wooden fence)in my front yard. The area has limited southern exposure due to shading by live o...
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Native moss to fill in between flagstones
April 21, 2008 - I live in Houston and have a long, narrow flagstone path that runs along the east side of the house. I am looking for a native moss that can fill in between the flagstones and will tolerate morning su...
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