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Wednesday - April 18, 2007
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Mixed native plantings for steep slope in Austin
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: We wrote to you recently about plantings for a fairly steep slope in a park in Austin. We had asked about grasses and perennials. An article about planting on slopes in this month's Organic Gardener recommends a mix of grasses, shrubs and trees because the root systems of each hold the soil at different depths. So we are hoping tht you can recommend some native small trees and shrubs for this part shade area. Thanks for your previous answer. We are using that information as the basis for our plan.ANSWER:
Here are a few suggestions for shrubs/small trees that do well in Central Texas in partial shade:Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)
Pavonia lasiopetala (Texas swampmallow)
Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac)
Sophora secundiflora (mescal bean)
You can do your own search and see more choices by selecting "Hill Country Horticulture" from the Special Collections on our Native Plants Database page and then choosing the "Narrow your search by location, characteristics or growing conditions" option.
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