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Shaded Color for Fall
We in Texas are blessed with a wonderful climate (most
of the year….) so many of the traditional fall flowers are happy here.
But most annual color plants require full sun, right?
Most do, but some are quite happy in varying degrees of shade.
It can be quite confusing to go to a nursery for a plant and the tag on
it says “partial shade” or “filtered sun” or one of the many other pet
names growers put on the label. Look
at the area in question at different times of the day.
Does it get ANY sun at all? What
kind of trees cover it? A group
of pines will usually let in more light than a stand of oak or sweetgum trees.
Which way does it face? Will
there be a significant change when the sun comes from another direction later
in the year? All of these factors will tell you just how much sun this
area receives during the day. Armed
with knowledge now, you can start to look for some blooming things to brighten
the darkness.
Several roses tolerate a little afternoon shade
well and have lots of blooms till the first frost. ’Caldwell Pink’ rose
will do okay in partial shade although the blooms are less abundant.
‘Echo’ rose coupled with a variegated grass, such as ‘Aztec’,
can brighten places that see the light of day only for a short period.
As in the case of
roses, specific varieties of the same plant might do better in low light. The
‘Katie’ ruellia and the creeping variety do better than do the true native
and other cultivated types. But none of these plants are likely to flower in
dense shade.
Treesearch Farms --- a Houston wholesale plant
grower that specializes in native plants --- has these suggestions for great
fall shade color, whether it be from flower, leaf or berry.
Some are native to Texas, while others adapt well to our climate.
SHRUBS: American beautyberry, native azalea
(different from the azaleas usually planted here), Chinese witch hazel,
coralberry, datura, hollies, oakleaf hydrangea, strawberrybush and Turk’s
cap
PERENNIALS: (come back every year) bleeding
heart, hosta, Mexican petunia (ruellia) and Virginia creeper vine
I would add that
some of my favorite fall shade plants are: gingers (in lower portions of the
state), asters, sages (especially Salvia
coccinea), blue mistflower, fall obedient plant, goldenrod,
partridgeberry, summer phlox, mint (for the smell, not color), cardinal
flower, swamp rose and American crinum lily.
Variegated shrubs, groundcovers and ferns are also a nice way to bring
color (and green is a color) into a
shady spot. And don’t forget
trees! Maple, Japanese maples,
sweetgum, Chinese pistachio, sumac and dogwood are just a few of the
outstanding coloring trees for your shady piece of Texas.
Be sure to look up your choice on our Plant
Finder to see which is best suited for your area.
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