Help with creating a woodland garden in North Texas?

17 years ago

Hello!

I was wondering if you could help me create a little woodland garden in an unlikely spot (15Âw x 30Âl) in Dallas (zone 8). My husband and I are removing all the grass (or rather weeds) and converting this space into a bed.

So far I have hellebores and foxgloves in this side yard facing my bedroom, my studio, and my guest room windows, and theyÂre doing well. (Despite the fact that the foxgloves should theoretically like full sun, they seem to have done okay on the morning sun alone. Our summers are just too hot for foxgloves in full sun, and this spot keeps them a bit protected from the crazy windstorms we occasionally get here.) This photo was taken at 6 pm a few days ago, so itÂs pretty shady most of the time, thanks to the shadow of the house and the three trees.

IÂm going to try to add a little stone path soon (as you can see by my cheesy rendering in the photo above), and add one of the steppable plants in between the cracks. IÂd like to add some sort of shrubs against the fence for variable height, but screening out the fence as much as possible so as to enhance the woodland effect. IÂm thinking one could be oak leaf hydrangea, but I would also like something that is evergreen, since IÂll see them all year long. Vines are out because of my neighbor.

Other plants IÂd like to add include ferns, possibly spotted deadnettle (lamium maculatum), wood sorrel (oxalis crassipes, which is supposed to be one of the well-behaved oxalises).

IÂd also like to add something as a foundation plant against the house on the right, but it canÂt get too high and block the windows or have a destructive root system. IÂd be open to adding river rocks or something like that if necessary.

Thanks in advance!

Comments (5)

bob64
17 years ago
Texas is on the other side of the country from me so my experience is of limited value to you (we don't even have fire ants yet although we do have ticks that carry life threatening diseases). Good woodland garden plants that like shade around here are bloodroot, mayapple, dutchmen's breaches, and trout lilly. Blueberries, azaleas and rhodos are all shallow rooted. Blueberries like full sun. The azaleas and rhodos like some shade. Mountain Laurel is always attractive. Some hollies that can handle hard pruning could also give you some evergreen and be acceptable by the house. I have native viburnums volunteering in some shady wet areas but they are not evergreen. Of course, a yellow rose always sounds good for Texas.
gonativegal
17 years ago
Dear Rebecca,

Like Bob, I too live in a completely different zone (5). But a great place to start is by reading a book by Sally & Andy Wasowski called 'Native Texas Gardening: Maximum Beauty Minimum Upkeep.' Sally and her husband are native Texans who have travelled throughout the midwest, west and southwest and written books on native plants for each region. I have a copy of her widely popular Gardening with Prairie Plants for folks in the midwest. It was the best.

What's really great is that her books give step by step instruction on how to create a garden - includes plant lists, loads of pictures, examples of native gardens and so on.

I would really focus on native plants specific to the southwest before installing the usual garden center stuff - there's already too many exotics out there (particularly in the warmer zones) that are supposedly well-behaved and are escaping into what's left of our native habitats. It's a little harder to find some of these plants but I'm sure there are nurseries in your area or through mail order that will be glad to assist.

I like your idea of the stone path - that will look very cool. Good Luck with garden and please send pictures after the installation.
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rebeccaindfw
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the wonderful suggestions! I was also thinking of the Texas mountain laurel, which has a lovely purple flower. And I'll definitely be checking out that book ASAP.
alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
17 years ago
Sparkleberry and Bottlebrush Buckeye are two more shade loving shrubs. You could even throw in some of the native palms like dwarf palmetto and needle palm (those grow in the shade also).
ladyslppr
17 years ago
Consider Turk's Cap aka Sultan's Turban (Malvaviscus drummondi) for the foundation planting. This is a Texas native plant that grows well in shady places and has bright red flowers all summer and fall that attract hummingbirds. It is also drought tolerant. The native variety grows as a sprawling shrub that can reach about five feet tall, or can be easily controlled by occasional pruning.