I live just north of Dallas too.

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SARO3  Here's a site with a pic of the Cedar sage that bostedo recommends. Indeed, the Cedar sage grows naturally underneath Cedar trees, in the wildlands and native forests of Cedars in Texas. It's an awesome little plant, I say go for it. I would, but I don't happen to have a Cedar tree to put one underneath, just yet.

Here is a short list of some other native, red-flowered plants that can handle dry shade, that I found at this link: http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=5542

Aquilegia canadensis (red columbine) Note: Available for purchase now, in some home improvement type stores. Can be a bit fussy to grow, but is gorgeous and worth the care.

Nyctaginia capitata (devil's bouquet) Note: Don't be fooled by the name, this poor, beautiful, plant is totally innocent-- except you should not eat it :P ---> Yucky, Do Not Eat! It's about as poisonous as a 4 o clock plant, being a close relative of 4 o clocks and wild tobaccos.

Salvia coccinea (blood sage) Note: I have this one in my shady, dry front yard and it's doing great! :) It also comes in 2-tone red/white, 2-tone pink/white, and solid pink. But I believe the red one is the closest to the wild type.

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow) aka. Turk's Cap Note: My Mom has this one in her shady, dry, limestone side yard in Austin, TX. Super easy, needs very little care once established. Attracts hummingbirds, and looks great!

Thank you both! I don't think I've seen cedar sage in any of the local nurseries, but I think I've seen scarlet sage in Lowe's and Home Depot. I have a Turks cap so I could take cuttings from it and plant them in my shade garden. Thank you both for the suggestions and information.

I agree that Salvia roemeriana is an excellent choice for dry shade. Mine is about 6 inches tall until it blooms.

Central Texas Native Plants · More Info

Salvia coccinia is also a good choice. It comes in red and in a coral pink. It is a little taller than S. roemeriana. While S. coccinia is a perennial, mine seem to self-sow as the plants are never in the same place from year to year.

Another North American native is Poliomintha longiflora. While known as a sun lover, it tolerates medium shade in my garden. It is only considered hardy to zone 8; however, I've noticed that plants beneath live oaks and cedars are protected from frost when those in the open succumb. Within its range it is an upright to arching shrub to 3 ft. In north Texas it is considered root hardy to zone 7b, but will act as a sub-shrub, regrowing from the root. Hardiness is better in drier climates. I include it because its lavender pink flowers bloom from late spring into summer and periodically thereafter until frost.

An introduced species that grows wild in parts of the state is Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) with grey leaves and white flowers. There are also blue-flowered Horehounds (M. supinum and M. cylleneum). I don't know which species the ones in the photo below are, but they grow untended in the alley behind my mother's house.

Makeshift your salvia roemariana is beautiful! It definitely makes a statement. I didn't know coccinia was a perennial? I learned something new.

I've heard of horehound. The silver leaves also make a bold statement. Thanks for giving me more ideas. I'll look around some of the nurseries. Sometimes they sell unique or native plants.

...I don't happen to have a Cedar tree to put one underneath...

While salvia roemariana does have a special relationship with cedar, it's not exclusive ;-) We have it growing under this dwarf peach (and other trees). It's actually in pretty heavy shade once the peach leafs out and the limbs are sagging with fruit.

I appreciate the large rosette it holds over winter as much or more than the flowers. The zexmenia, salvia coccinea, and texas lantana that are also in the photo die back to the ground after first freeze. The different rosette in the upper right is Cutleaf/Engelmann Daisy (Engelmannia peristenia) - another great long blooming native that does well both in this sort of shade or in full sun.

A new one (to us) I'm growing fond of is golden groundsel (Packera obovata). Most of the year it is a low green rosette similar to ajuga or lyreleaf sage. But it grows well under a tree where little else has thrived or even survived.

Most of these should be available at Shades of Green in Frisco - at least while their latest stock delivery holds out. We grow s. coccinea and cutleaf daisy easily from seed which can be bought inexpensively on-line.

Edit: The native columbines Grovespirit mentioned are also great. We have both a. canadensis (red) and a. chrysantha (yellow). Though the yellow performs a bit better for us in north Texas.

Thank you bostedo. One day I'll have to take a trip to Shades of Green. I remember that nursery being mentioned on another forum.

I see Texas betany in their list of native perennials for shade.

We got one of our Texas betonys (Stachys coccinea) there and have tried them under the same tree as the golden groundsel. They look great now with their fresh growth, but get ragged for us by August in that competitive site. I like them, but have to experiment more.

Now I definitely need to check out Shades of Green. I bookmarked their list of perennials for the shade. I also took some cuttings from my Turk's Cap and I'm going to plant those once they develop roots.

Dwarf barbados cherry is nice too with it's pretty flowers and red berries.

Thanks loreleicomal for that suggestion. I really like plants that produce colorful berries.

Phlox pilosa is a ground cover that give nice springtime color in shade and then goes dormant in summer, but it does spread. I have a nice size patch of it all under two trees. It then disappears and salvia coccinea and crag lilly (fall bloomer) takes over. The penstemon tennuis also likes the same conditions. They are under oak trees that shed their leaves in march They seem to bloom during that time so under cedar trees might be different. it also is shrub friendly.

I have bugle weed s, cedar sage, columbine, dames rocket, under the cedars and they all bloom at the same time in shockingly cartoon crayon intensity. Some might say , to much no subtlety, but I say their is an exquisite innocence to the combination. Salvia regla can take a fair amount of shade. I like to place it where shafts of light hit it during its bloom time, then the bush lights up in flame against a dark back drop. The setting sun shafts are the best. I did forget to mention heart leafed scuttelleria for a ground cover.

If you can not find plants, I can send seeds of the cedar sage later this year after I collect them. This is a native population from my land.

Wow those phlox plants look amazing!Thanks for offering the seeds wantonamara. With the columbine is it the native yellow or the fancier colors? I have some origami mix columbine seeds that I got from a trade but I don't know if they'll take shade like the native columbines? I'm a fan of a lot of colors especially in shade because most of the plants I have are various shades of green and it looks boring in my opinion.

Wantonamara: Don't recall heart-leaved skullcap coming up before in our books/searches for native groundcovers - looking forward to trying some. Does it keep a green rosette or die back over the winter where you are?

My columbine is the yellow natives. I also have the yellow long spurred columbines which is in shade. My shade is a thin bright shade that does not get hugely dark. It is top of the hill Central Texas, after all. I am not sure about the nativeness of bugleweed. I have the simple version of Ajuga reptans that is a bit more xeric than the others.

@Bostedo, I call it a ground cover since it has spread and in my garden , a dry unwatered garden, it comes up, blooms and disappears after awhile. It does die back. It spread so if a ground cover is always there 100% of the year, it is not a ground cover. Mine do not get too tall (1.5') because of my lean mean soil, so I see it as a ground cover .

I didn't know there were more than one type of native columbine? I learned something new. The area gets a little dappled light during the afternoon and I used to keep the cedar trees trimmed away from the house which kept the area a little brighter. I have just enough light to scorch the edges of the cast iron plants in Summer. I'll have to google ajuga reptant.

Its Ajuga reptans. I was hit by auto spell. Someone should clue it in on latin botany.

It would definitely be great if the auto spell had Latin botany.

OH , There is the Yellow Agulegia chrysantha and there is the Aquiligia longissima. I see that they now have them as separate species. The longissima used to be a variation of the chrysantha.

A. longissima

A.chrysantha var hinkleyana

Here is a picture of the A. longissima. They do prefer a leaner more draining soil and will rot in clay, I think. I lost some of the yellow chrysantha in shade in the clay I used to garden in. This plant in the photo is still a young patch. I only planted it a year before this picture. The spurs are long. I think the A.chrysantha var hinklyeyana might b more floriferous. but that might be a factor in age and where I planted this plant. The American beautybush is fast covering it up. I need to move it.

There is also Aquilegia Chrysantha var chaplinei. All of these grow in the moist canyons of West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

They are all yellow so they get lumped together but the Hinkley's columbine is the one that you see most in the stores. One has to order the other two from High Country Gardens. I have seen the seeds around at some of the smaller more specialized seed companies.

Then there is A. canadensis the yellow and red variety that is spread far and wide and grow in many conditions.

They definitely stand out. I think the one I saw in a friend's yard years ago was the Hinkley one? I didn't know canadensis would grow here. I had turned down some seeds thinking it wasn't adapted to Texas.

It might be that the A. canadensis population here in Texas is more heat resistant and you need to look for a source of that seed. Check the range map and slide the slider on the left up 2 notches and it will give you the counties. That Texas population is very separated from the rest the range. That was interesting. I learned something new today.
A. canadensis range map

LBJ database entry for A. canadensis

This might be where getting seed from a local source and population will help with success. Call Native american seed and ask them if they know where its population of their seed came from if you are interested.

A. canadensis from Native American Seed

Neither a. canadensis or a. chrysantha vars. appreciate our north Texas clay, but the yellow lines seem to have quite a bit more tolerance. For us, a. canadensis (of unknown origin) tends to peter out after a few years without some pampering, but a. chrysantha easily renews with volunteers on its own even in unimproved beds.

Wantonamara: thanks for the additional info on heart-leaved skullcap.

I guess I'll look for seeds for the yellow columbine and phlox. I think that would be a great combination with cedar sage?

The phlox seed of this type is really hard to collect. It is best to get some plants if you can find them. I have never grown them from seed but grown them from stolons.

Is that the phlox that you usually see in Lowe's

NO. Than is phlox usually paniculata (sp?) I can mail you some stolons with roots and stems to get started. PM .me. Plant Delights has a nice variety

Phlox pilosa

The only reviewer gave it one star. They ordered it when it was very hot (bad) and when the plant went dormant ( it is summer dormant), she watered it everyday and killed it. LOL I have shipped it to OKC in the spring and My friend had no problems. Plant Delights is collected from TEXAS. The other sources that I have found are from the northern plains. This might make a big difference.

Wow thank you!

That phlox is definitely a stunner. I probably would have done the same thing the reviewer did, but they should have known it's difficult for anything to get established during summer. I know they didn't know about the dormancy but watering something everyday that they think is nearly dead would cause rot. I didn't know Plant Delights for there plants from Texas either.

Plant Delights collects interesting natives from all over. The have a wavey cloak fern that s lady from Memphis collected from the hill country and I bet she collected it from a pass just east of Leakey. It looks like one I collected from there. It is longer than the one usually available from my Barton springs Nursery. They had an interesting natural hybrid of a penstemon triflorous and cobea that also came from the Kerville area. He did a collecting trip through Texas a few years back. He has some articles on his site describing his trips around the world doing collections.

Wow that's really interesting. I need to read some of those articles on his site. I think I saw some penstemons growing in a field near my house? I don't know what type they are but they'll be gone within a year or two because they're building houses in that area.

I have always been cautious when gathering plants. There are limits in what will transplant. Don't try to move plants from areas with high rainfall to drought-prone areas. And vice-versa, as xeric plants will likely get root rot. Don't move acid loving plants to alkaline areas, etc. However, as Texas is disappearing to development, I'm thinking we need to be proactive. If you see development, whether it's road widening or building, and you know there are unusual plants likely to be destroyed by apathy and/or ignorance, you should rescue them now, while it's still early.

You still need to be cautious; some bulbs such as Prairie Celestials (Nemastylis geminiflora) do not transplant well during blooming. Others have deep tap roots, and many prefer dry, gravelly hillsides. You need to attempt to recreate the location where you found each plant. The smaller the plant the more likely transplanting will succeed. Here are some plants I successfully moved out of harm's way:

Mimosa borealis (Fragrant Mimosa) upright xeric shrub to 8 ft. Flowers mid-spring. Saved from county recycle building site. Planted in raised alkaline scree bed.

Central Texas Native Plants · More Info

Central Texas Native Plants · More Info

I wish I could get in contact with the developers but I don't see any signs because I'd love to collect some of the penstemons and I think I saw some wild verbena out there? I hate to see them destroyed. The field is next to my community. I'm glad you were able to save those pretty plants.

Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) - aka White Crownbeard ... might be
something to consider if it isn't too tall for you. I'm growing it for
the first time this year so can't comment on how well it might do but
I'm planning on growing under trees here in central Arkansas as about
all I have left is dappled shade areas. I'm growing it for late summer nectar
for the butterflies. It reportedly blooms in late summer, early fall.

Mary

I've heard a lot of good things about frostweed. I wouldn't mind it being tall at all because that would add a different perspective of my shade garden. Everything in my shade garden is pretty even.

The frosted is a bit rangy in small spaces. It makes a statement when it spreads and makes a patch. Butterflies do go bonkers over it in fall. I grow it in the wild but not sure how it would behave in a garden. I am getting your box ready so if you want some, message me. I can get a bigger box.

If there is going to be development and one can't get a hold of the developer, go anyway. I have seen so much go by the wayside and be covered over by malls and such. Me, I would go for a walk if you really know that the machines are moving in. I have done lots of collecting in the evenings when the guys have left. But I am that way about those kind of things. I take my chances and do the sweet old lady act half way convincingly. They are probably penstemon cobaea.

I think my shade garden area is about 7 ft long and maybe 3 foot wide, so it's pretty small. Do you think the frostweed would be too large for that space? Thanks so much for sending me plants wantonamara.

I did read that they should be planted three or five for a grouping as I think I've read they are pretty much a single stalk plant, at least unless they are pinched fairly early in the season. Maybe consider trying a small grouping with shorter plants in front and then decide if they would work for your shade bed. At least this plant would provide some blooms when many other plants are done and having a white bloom, it wouldn't clash. Plus the butterflies love the nectar! :-)

OR ... grow a small grouping of A perennis milkeed. :-) In your area, it would do well in dappled shade and it blooms over a long period of time. It is also a bit shorter than what Frostweed would reportedly be. I've seen photos of it blooming it's head off while mature seed pods are developing on the same plant. Of course, mama Monarch would probably find it attractive as a nice home for some of her babies and if so, it might take on a rather untidy appearance while they are in residence. Can you sense a common thread here .... LOL

Seriously, the best of luck with your new shade garden.

Mary

Thanks Mary! The frostweed has so many great attributes and it's such an interesting plant. I was reading about the perennis milkweed and it said it needs constantly moist/wet soil. I have trouble keeping the liriope watered in my shade garden lol. I know that will have to change when I get some plants from wantonamara and thankfully I got a few bags of amended dirt from a landscaping job that I used in my shade garden.

@ wantonamara, they recently put up a "No Trespassing" sign so I'm afraid to walk over there even at night. When I walked over there before the sign, I was so tempted to dig up a few of the penstemons but my family said with my luck I'd get caught and arrested lol. You're right, they definitely look like the penstemon cobaea. I didn't know anything like that grew in this area so it was a nice surprise to see it on my morning walk. I wish I could be half as brave as you.

Frostweed is definitely on the taller side—4 to 6 ft. at the end of summer. The leaves are large and coarse, and the bottom leaves get scraggly looking late in the summer, but they make beautiful cut flowers in a large vase. These would be better in the back of the yard, behind low shrubs so you can still see the flowers. Frostweed will take full sun to full shade and is drought tolerant. Propagation is from seed, though you can try transplanting small plants and seedlings. It is emerging from dormancy now.

I didn't know it could grow in full sun too. I wish I could have planted frostweed instead of bamboo on the side of my house.

I have been known to disregard no tresspasssing signs before. I am not a very good girl. One can take the address to the county computer and get the owners name off of there. I have done that before too.

I need to try that because I'd hate to see the penstemons destroyed. I also saw a plant that was love growing and had yellow mimosa-looking flowers.

Thank you, mindshift, for sharing this additional helpful information. Excellent to know it can handle full sun to shade. Not many plants offers such a range of acceptable light requirements. I've never met anyone who has actually grown this plant nor have I seen one, only photos. I winter sowed my seed and the seedlings are just now developing their first true leaves. I read somewhere that to pinch the growing tips in June to help create more stems and buds so I'm going to try that. That might shorten them a bit and keep them from getting so tall and awkward looking. I'm planning on planting some in a dappled shade bed with native Spicebush, which I grow as a host plant for the Spicebush Butterflies. Thinking of trying some more Frostweed plants among liatris ligulstylis - Meadow Blazing Star, with something shorter growing in front. So much fun to try new things! :-)

And you are right about trying to save native plants that will be destroyed by development. I asked for and received permission to transplant a rare native milkweed, A. variegata, from a commercial development site. If you don't know who the owner is, sometimes speaking to one of the workers on site will help. If they don't feel comfortable giving permission, they might pass along the request.

Mary

That will be a stunning combination Mary. The butterflies will definitely flock to your garden. A couple of years ago I had dozens of Gulf fritillary caterpillars on my passion vine.

It's amazing you saved a rare milkweed. I'll see if there is a sign for the housing development and give them a call. I think the people are slowly building their own homes so there's no one on the lots with the penstemons.

mary_littlerockar, every time I add information to a forum, I find there are caveats I've left out. The information about sun/shade tolerance came from Dave's Garden. However, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center lists this plant as needing at least part shade. The reason for this discrepancy is that the plant is common from central Texas to the east coast, and north to Iowa, then east to Pennsylvania. Summers in the south are hot and humid and plants that are considered heat lovers in PA need some shade to endure. If you are north of the Gulf States, frostweed will take more sun. While it's drought tolerant, mine got very droopy between waterings last summer.