Native Plants
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Saturday - February 07, 2009
From: Dunn, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Native plants for part shade in North Carolina
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I'm thinking about planting a border in front of my house. It's on the north side, so it's fairly shady. One of the main problems with this is that I don't like many common shade plants, so it's hard to find anything good. I haven't firmly decided on a color scheme, but I'm leaning toward blue and yellow. Are there any shade flowers in an indigo color? Actually, are there any shade flowers in any bright color? Color is good! Oh, and low- to no-maintenance would be a plus.ANSWER:
We went into our Recommended Species section, clicked on North Carolina on the map, did NARROW YOUR SEARCH, selecting on "Herbs" (flowering herbaceous plants), part shade (2 to 6 hours of sun a day), and shade (less than 2 hours of sun a day) and got a list of 31 plants that fulfilled those requirements. From those, we selected several that satisfied your color preferences, but threw in some other tints of pink and red, just for variety. You can follow the same procedure and make your own selections. Follow the plant links to our webpage on each plant to find out more about propagation, height, etc.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center recommends only plants native not just to North America but to the area in which they grow naturally. Native plants already habituated to a climate and rainfall will require less fertilizer, water and maintenance. These plants are all commercially available, and if you have difficulty locating them, go to our Native Plant Supplier section, type in your town and state in the "Enter Search Location" box and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies and landscape and environmental consultants in your general area. All have contact information so you can check availability before you go shopping.
SHADE TOLERANT PLANTS FOR NORTH CAROLINA
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) - perennial, blooms white, pink April to September
Amsonia tabernaemontana (eastern bluestar) - perennial, blooms blue, purple March to May
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower) - perennial, blooms blue, purple July to November
Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed) - perennial, blooms yellow April to June
Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower) - perennial, blooms pink, purple April to September
Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel) - annual, blooms red, yellow, brown May to August
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower) - perennial, blooms red May to October
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia) - perennial, blooms blue July to October
Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) - perennial, blooms May and June
Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) - perennial, blooms pink, blue, purple March to June
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) - perennial, blooms white, pink, purple May to September
Phlox divaricata (wild blue phlox) - perennial, blooms white, red, pink, purple March to May
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Plants for xeriscape and shade
August 20, 2008 - I live in Jones county, Texas. I would like to xeriscape portions of my lawn. The soil is sandy, I have a lot of shaded lawn area. What plants do you recommend that would be low maintenace, low water ...
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Small evergreen shrubs for part shade in Texas
January 31, 2015 - Mr. Smarty Pants,
I'm, for some reason, at odds with myself about a shrub decision. I have need about 8 ft of hedge-like evergreen shrub(s) that I can maintain around 4ft to go under a window. It...
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Need plants to shade on a west-facing wall in Houston, TX
April 28, 2010 - What plants are best to provide shade on a west facing wall in Houston. I am looking for plants that help to cool the house.
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Enough sun from San Marcos TX
February 22, 2013 - I would like to plant both Lantana urticoides and Salvia farinacea in area that only has morning to 1pm sun..Will this amount of sun be enough?
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Shaded Trellis Plants for Georgetown TX
May 14, 2011 - What native plants work well on a trellis that will be placed in an area that remains shaded most of the day?
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