How2Day: Arkansas Shade Plants

While most of Arkansas is within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 7, the northern part is within zone 6 and the south in zone 8. The summers can be hot in Arkansas, with many native species preferring to develop in the shade. You can utilize some of these Arkansas shade plants for landscaping in those parts of your property without much sun exposure for the majority of the daylight hours.

Purple rocket (Iodanthus pinnatifidus) is an Arkansas native that grows in partly to fully shaded areas. It is an ideal herbaceous perennial for damp, shady spots such as those found along stream banks. Purple rocket grows to 3 feet, but it is usually between 1 and 2 feet tall. The flower clusters emerge at the top of the plant, with the four-petaled violet blooms turning whitish as time passes. Purple rocket can withstand areas that experience short spans of flooding. The flowers appeal greatly to various types of butterflies.

"Dainty" is how the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center describes the tiny white flowers of partridgeberry (Mitchella repens). The low-growing plant makes excellent ground cover for small shady areas of your property. Partridgeberry is evergreen and it forms mats along the ground. The flowers that bloom from May through July yield a red berry that often is still on the plant in the winter. Partridgeberry's fruit is a staple in the diets of game birds such as the ruffed grouse and turkey. The plant grows throughout most of the eastern United States.

Northwest Arkansas is where you will find bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia) -- a deciduous shrub. This shade-loving plant has ornamental interest primarily due to the seedpods, which have a papery, bladder-like appearance. The pods contain the plant's seeds, and they will remain on the shrub into winter, long after the green leaves have fallen. Bladdernut will grow in different kinds of soil, but will do well where it is somewhat moist. Bladdernut, which occurs throughout the central part of the United States, is a good fit in woodland gardens and naturalized areas where shade rules.

Refrain from raising yellow adder's tongue (Erythronium americanum) from seeds and grow it from corms purchased from nurseries. Plants developed from seed will not bloom for four or five years, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Yellow adder's tongue is native to the wet woodlands of Arkansas, growing in partial to full shade. The perennial will grow to 6 inches tall and form colonies. The plant will be dormant after spring is over, but you will have yellow flowers similar to lilies opening in early spring if you utilize this plant for landscaping. It will bloom from March through May, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

How2Day