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A. If you can’t prune up the canopy of your trees to let in more light, consider groundcovers. Liriope, Aztec grass—green with white stripes—and mondo grass look great in masses. They require little maintenance. The producer likes to use these tough plants in areas where dogs and cats like to nap. They don’t harm the grass, and it keeps a tough-to-landscape area free of mud.

Texas sedge is another good one for a grassy look. Wedelia is another favorite of the producer’s. It has bloomed during ice storms! Given a little light, it rapidly fills an area. I’ve been training it around stepping stones in a shade bed that receives dots of sun in the afternoon. I also like pigeonberry for its tiny red berries.

In shade areas, you can also combine several plants like columbine, oxalis, pigeonberry, lemon balm for an interesting area that doesn’t need mowing!

Bark mulch, granite sand, or pea gravel can also create clean, crisp areas where it’s difficult to keep things growing.

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Naturalizing Bulbs
With the recent rains and dip in temperature, the oxblood lilies appeared overnight! As they subside, the lycoris (red spider lilies to some) are taking their place. If you’ve been admiring them, plan to include them when bulbs become available in the spring.

Consider adding rain lilies (Zephyranthes) any time of year. There are many colors and bloom times.

In the next few weeks, we can select our spring naturalizing bulbs to plant in November.
Leucojum, allium, Narcissus ‘Grand Primo,’ paperwhite narcissus, Byzantine gladiolus, and clusiana tulips are all good choices.

For more about the best bulbs for Central Texas, check out:

Bulbs for Warm Climates by Thad M. Howard (University of Texas Press, 2001) and
Garden Bulbs for the South by Scott Ogden (Taylor Publishing, 1994)

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Plant cool weather plants like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce. Plant wildflower seeds. Continue dividing daylilies, iris, and spring-blooming perennials.

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