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Friday - March 19, 2010

From: North Richland Hills, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Shrubs, groundcovers, and grasses for shade in North Central Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Updated (2009-10) information about shrubs / ground cover /grasses recommended for North Central Texas - Complete back yard re-landscaping under a lot of trees, shady areas, regular bermuda, St Augustine won't grow.

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is not sure what you mean by 'updated' unless you are referring to the answers to questions from June 2008 and June 2009.  If this is the case, the recommendations in the answers to those questions still stand, but here is an expanded list that was chosen from recommendations in the Wasowski's Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region as well as the Texas-North Central Recommended list from our Recommended Species page.  Note: sun = more than 6 hours of sun per day; part shade = 2 to 6 hours ofsun per day; shade = less than 2 hours of sun per day

SHRUBS:

Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo) grows in sun and part shade

Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) grows in part shade

Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) grows in sun, part shade and shade

Sabal minor (dwarf palmetto) grows in sun, part shade and shade

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry) grows in part shade and shade

GROUNDCOVERS:

Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort) grows in part shade and shade

Calyptocarpus vialis (straggler daisy) grows in sun, part shade and shade 

Geum canadense (white avens) grows in part shade and shade 

Rivina humilis (rougeplant) grows in part shade

Salvia lyrata (lyreleaf sage) grows in sun, part shade and shade

Packera obovata (roundleaf ragwort) grows in part shade and shade

Viola missouriensis (Missouri violet) grows in part shade and shade

GRASSES/GRASS-LIKE:

Carex planostachys (cedar sedge) grows part shade

Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama) grows in sun and part shade

Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) grows in part shade and shade

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye) grows in sun and part shade

Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) grows in sun and part shade

Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) grows in sun, part shade and shade

You can see more possibilities by selecting North Central Texas from the map or pull-down menu from our Recommended Species page.

Here are photos of some of the selected species above from our Image Gallery:

 

 

 

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