Fill your shade garden with colorful plants for multiseason interest
It can be challenging choosing plants for suspect areas , but we have a number of beautiful , hardy choices available to us in the Southern Plains . The following are a few of my favorite native understory tree diagram and shrubs .
Carolina buckthorn
Frangula caroliniana , Zones 5–9
Carolina ribwort , also known as Amerind cherry , is my favorite understory Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . I ’m rosy to have two Carolina buckthorns growing wild on my property under a canopy of live oak ( Quercus virginiana , Zones 8–10 ) and ashe junipers ( Juniperus ashei , Zones 6–9 ) . I always treasure their delicate structure and the room their glossy green leaves contrast with the red berries that appear in later summertime . This aboriginal species falls in the class of small tree or large bush , typically reaching heights of about 12 to 15 ft . Carolina ribgrass demand only ordinary amounts of urine and are very drouth large-minded once plant . When they are sited in partial spook under tumid trees , their branch forge a very idle , open canopy . They can also dwell in full sun , but they make a denser , more compact shrub that is candidly not as attractive as their loose , airier , shade - grown manikin .
Red buckeye
Aesculus pavia , Zones 4–8
Red buckeye is a beautiful understory tree native to the southeasterly United States , from North Carolina south to Florida , and west to Texas . The leaves are made of five fine - toothed leaflets , each about 6 inches farseeing and shining dark putting green . Where I subsist in Central Texas this species is unremarkably no more than about 15 foot tall , but in region with deeper soil and more rain , ruby-red buckeye can accomplish heights of up to 40 feet . Red horse chestnut is an early outpouring blooper , with impressive clusters of deep red prime appearing as early on as February . The leafage is also at its best in spring . Once the heat of summer hits , the leaf twist chocolate-brown and drop off , which is perfectly normal and no cause for care . Just make certain you set red buckeye where it can be a wizard in the garden in other spring and then recede into the background for summer . This species appreciate a little surplus wet in the soil , so hold open it for a umbrageous spot in the garden where it can get a fiddling extra water .
Rusty blackhaw viburnum
Viburnum rufidulum , Zones 5–9
Rusty blackhaw viburnum wins the glossy prize . I know I allege Carolina buckthorn and red buckeye are glossy ( and they are ) , but this viburnum ’s sullen gullible leafage is so sheeny that it always looks freshly waxed . When rust-brown blackhaw blooms in March , it is a show - showstopper , with lustrous white flowers that brook out against the dark green foliage . Those flowers then yield dangling clusters of gloomy purple Chuck Berry beloved to wildlife . And the folio turn vibrant hues in fall . This species take in a great understory planting , either separately or as a hedging .
American beautyberry
Callicarpa americana , Zones 7–11
American beautyberry is smaller than the other selection I ’ve mentioned here . It is a straight shrub , come up in at about 5 animal foot magniloquent and every bit as wide-cut . It is easy to grow , comfortable to observe , and well-fixed to enjoy . While it is native to moist Grant Wood and bottomlands , it is drought tolerant once establish and does well in partial shade . Branches are refined and drooping , with medium to light green diametric leafage . The bloom are very small and pink and nothing to write home about , but the brilliant purple Berry that follow are eye - catching . The placement of the berries on the flora is strange , pass in clusters directly on the branches . Beautyberry is very exonerative and can take a heavy pruning to keep it more compact .
Honorable mentions
In addition to these four achiever , here are some other aboriginal species suitable of retainer as slap-up understory trees and shrubs for the Southern Plains :
— Karen Beaty is a horticulturalist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin , Texas .
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Pruning Simplified : A Step - by - Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs
Fine Gardening receives a delegation for items buy through link on this site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programme .
DeWalt Variable - Speed Cordless Reciprocating attend
Scotts Cordless Grass - Shear / Shrub - Trimmer Combo
Get our belated tips , how - to articles , and instructional picture commit to your inbox .
sign you up …
Related Articles
Three Amazing Understory Trees and Shrubs
Shade-Loving Shrubs for the Southern Plains
Ornamental Edible Shrubs for the Southern Plains
Thorny Favorites for the Southern Plains
link o.k. Gardening for a free engaging live webinar feature Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant pathologist as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …
When I spotted a particular backbone clam cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I know I was in worry . With a delicious color pattern …
When we only prioritize flora we want over plants our landscape needs , each season is fill up with a never - ending lean of chores : pruning , sneak , lachrymation , treating , amend , and fertilizing , with …
Subscribe today and save up to 47%
Video
Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat
You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden clothes designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a dyad …
4 Midsummer Favorites From a Plant Breeder’s Garden
Episode 181: Plants You Can’t Kill
Episode 180: Plants with Big, Bold Foliage
4 Steps to Remove Invasive Plants in Your Yard
All Access members get more
sign on up for afree trialand get accession to ALL our regional content , plus the repose of the appendage - only content program library .
initiate Free Trial
Get complete land site access to expert advice , regional content , and more , plus the photographic print powder magazine .
Start your FREE trial
Already a member?access
Rusty blackhaw viburnum is a star in the shade. It blooms in March followed by dark purple berries. In autumn, its leaves turn a vibrant red.Photo: Karen Beaty
Carolina buckthorn grows in a loose, sprawling habit when placed in the shade.Photo: Mason Brock/Wikimedia Commons
Red buckeye blooms with red tubular flowers in early spring.Photo: Michelle Gervais
Glossy dark leaves of rusty blackhaw viburnum contrast with delicate, lacey white flowers.Photo: Karen Beaty
American beautyberry has small, round clusters of pink berries along each stem.Photo: Karen Beaty
Wafer ash blooms with flowers in early summer that smell like citrus.Photo: Andrea Delong-Amaya
