There are many native, and well-adapted non-native plants, that thrive in Oklahoma. Don't forget that understory trees can be a very attractive landscape feature too.

If you look at a natural woodland area, you will see that there are layers of landscaping. The tallest tend to be hardwood trees like oaks, pecans, hickories, walnuts etc.

The next tallest layer will be understory trees or tall shrubs, including redbud, possomhaw holly, wild cherry, ashes, native persimmons, many types of viburnums, Mexican plums, and many so-called trash trees (because they are weak-wooded and tend to die younger) like hackberry and elm.

The next layer will be shrubby in growth. At our place this includes native rough-leaved dogwoods, sumacs (at the edges of the woodland where they can get more sunlight), American Beautyberry and sandplums/other wild plums.

The next layer will be groundcover-type plants like coralberry, buffalo berry, northern sea oats grass, Virginia creeper, and woodland ferns and sedges.

Here's a list of some of the plants you can use as understory plants:

GRASSES:

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) on woodland edges where it gets almost full sun to full sun

Big Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) on woodland edges and in dappled shade

Blue Grama Grass (Boutellouna gracilis) on woodland edges with full to almost full sun

Bushy Bluestem (Andropogon glomeratus) full sun to part shade, prefers moist soil--on our land this native grows on the edges of the swampy area where buttonbush also thrives.

Eastern gammagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, likes low-lying areas with moist soil, can take periods of standing water

Inland Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) prefers moist woodland soils along creek banks, bar ditches, etc. Part shade, dappled shade, full shade

Little Bluestem (Schizachryrium scoparium)--full sun to part shade, well-drained soil

Sand Dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus)--full sun to part shade, well-drained sandy soil

Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)--full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil

SHRUBS/UNDERSTORY TREES/GROUNDCOVERS:

Agarita (Berberis trifoliolata) full sun to part shade

Coral-berry (Symphoricarpus orbiculata) dappled shade to part shade

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) full sun to part shade, prefers very moist soils on edge of swamps, ponds, streams. Tolerates seasonably poor drainage.

Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) part shade, dappled shade, full shade, likes moist woodland soil

Oklahoma Plum (Prunus gracilus) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well drained soil, sandy soil

Southern Dewberry (Rubus trivialis) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, prefers moist soil, tolerates poor drainage

Frarant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) full sun, part shade, well-drained soil

Flameleaf Suman (Rhus copallina) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) part shade, dappled shade, likes moist woodland soils and well-drained soils

Rough-leaved Dogwood (Cornus drummondii) part-shade, dappled shade, full shade, moist to dry soils, seems to prefer woodland edges

Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) Full sun to part shade, well drained to dry soils

Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) Full sun to part shade), well-drained, dry soils

Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua) (Possumhaw holly) full sun to part shade, moist soil, well-drained soil, can tolerate seasonably poor drainage

Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil preferred but tolerates seasonably poor drainage

American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) full sun to part shade, tolerates poor drainage, likes moist humusy soil

Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum rufidulum) full sun to part shade, well-drained soils, moist woodland soils

Eve's Nacklace (Sophora affinis) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soils

Redbud (Cersis canadensis) full sun, part shade, dappled shade. Starts out as an understory tree, but can eventually grow to 30' or so in height.

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) full sun to part shade, well drained soil, woodland soil. Grows as understory trees in our mixed oak woodland. Suppposedly these can eventually get quite large, but ours seldom get taller than 12' to 15' tall in dense shade.

Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) full sun to part shade, well-drained soil. Can get large over a long period of time. Most of ours in shade only get about 15' tall.

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia) full sun to part shade, well-drained soil, esp. sandy soil

Chittamwood, Wooly Buckthorn (Bumelia lanuginosa) full sun to part shade, well-drained soil. Very tough and resilient. Thorny. Starts out as a small understory tree with shiny leaves and can eventually get very large. Ours range from 10' or so up to about 40' in height.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) full sun, dappled shade, part shade, full shade. Prefers moist soil and shaded locations, but I grow it in full sun too. Hummingbird favorite.

Trumpet Creeper Vine (Camsis radicans) full sun to part shade, any soil, tolerates seasonably poor drainage and also tolerates drought, very aggressive climbing vine

Peppervine (Ampelopsis arborea) part shade, dappled shade, shade, likes rich bottomland soil

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) full sun, part hade, dappled shade. Almost any soil. A very tough vine.

WILDFLOWERS:

Violets--Birdsfoot violets and Missouri violets

Jack-in-the-pulpit

Wild ageratum

Prairie Larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum) full sun to part shade, prefers open woods and fields, well-drained soils

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, moist soils, poor drainage OK

Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soils

Horsemint (Monarda citriodora) full sun to part shade well-drained soil

Mealy Sage (Salvia farinacea), full sun to part shade, well-drained soil

Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, esp. likes sandy soil, tolerates seasonably poor drainage

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) full sun, part shade, dappled shade, well-drained soil. Ours like to grow in morning sun and afternoon shade.

There are lots more. Hopefully this will give you some ideas.

Dawn

Dawn, those are all Great ideas. I can see I have some shopping to do.

I second the fragrant sumac. They thrive with no care at all. I encourage them by cutting the tree sprouts out of the place where I want them and that's all they need.

The smooth sumac is beautiful most times of the year. It spreads by underground runners but is easy to keep under control. It is screening the propane tank nicely.

In the sunny spots, the ruellia ("wild petunia") is plentiful. I don't know if it is native, but it can sure tolerate clay and rocks and drought.

I have been transplanting the redbuds that "hitch-hike" in with the loads of mulch.

I want a buttonbush but I was scared off by the "moist soil" requirement.

Down in the "seasonal creek" bed there is indigo bush growing wild. It doesn't seem to mind deluges. It lived through the drought last summer.

Wish I wasn't sensitive to poison ivy. It is so pretty.

I sprang big bucks $35 each on a male and female deciduous holly. Here's hoping.. I usually go for the free/cheap.

Gayle

Hi Gayle,

Until I moved here, I just thought of sumac as a sort of 'trash tree' that grew along fencelines. My appreciation for its fall color has come a long way since then. I have a good stand of smooth sumac in my butterfly bed. It planted itself there, and I have let it stay. It tries to sucker more than I want, but I just prune out the excessive ones.

We have ruellia here too and I do believe it is native. It grows in a area far from the house, and we never have a huge amount of it, but I love it.

I know that buttonbush 'needs' moist soil, but mine only gets whatever nature provides, and it has endured several years of severe drought when it was in dry soil for months and months and months. I think that once it is established it can take quite a lot of dry conditions.

I try to watch the natives, see how they perform in all kinds of weather, and learn from them.

Dawn

Thanks Okie Dawn! That is a list for printing and taking with me to the farmers markets for sure. I just put in a Possumhaw at your suggestion. I'd seen one last winter at the nursery and the berries just floored me. I can't wait to see it the next winter. The one I bought had berries on it so I'm assuming I got a female? It is backed by four yaupon's and some larger hollies so I'm hoping they will help with pollination and berry set? Am I even understanding the whole dioaceous thing? I'm going to try and sneak in some elderberrys and serviceberrys and some spicebush before the heat takes over. Thanks again Dawn. I've got a printout of your suggestions and I will be carrying it around with me as I try to find all of these great plants. Even with all of the large trees on our property my wildlife garden is really just getting started. The Chaste tree which has been in less than a week is already swarming with bumblebees and butterflies! I can't wait to see what happens as things are added and mature.

Hi Blytherbean!

Oh, you are welcome. I love sharing the word about native plants. After we bought this piece of property, wildly overgrown mess that it was, we tried to clear away invasive junk like poison ivy, Eastern Redcedar (still working on that one!) and greenbrier. I always had a native plant book or two or three with me so that we would not accidentally remove native plants that we ought to keep. It has been quite a learning experience.

During periods of extended drought, the natives may lose their leaves and look like crap, but they survive and leaf out again either when autumn rains return or when the next spring rolls around.

If your Possumhaw Holly has berries, then of course it it the female and it will be pollinated by the male yaupons and you should get a great fruit set. Possumhaws can be variable. Most of mine have red berries, but there's a handful that have distinctively orange-red berries.

The Possumhaw berries usually hang on to the tree until late winter or early spring. When the cedar waxwings migrate through the area as they head north, they stop by and strip the possumhaws of their berries, which by then have fermented. You end up with birds that are slightly drunk from the fermented berries. It is a hysterical sight. Sometimes the cedar waxwings eat as individuals, kind of in an "every man for himself" type of way. Other times, though, they line up on a long branch or two and will pass a berry from bird to bird to bird until someone finally eats it. It is quite entertaining to see.

Chaste tree is a wonderful plant. Mine has only frozen down to the ground one year since we planted it and it is about 7 years old. If it does freeze down to the ground, it will resprout and regrow quickly once the weather warms up. The bees and butterflies simply adore it.

Dawn

Ooh - one of my favorite subjects since I am "going native"! LOL! I have established Virginia Creeper, which is a marvelous wildlife plant. The birds love the berries, and the sphinx moth caterpillars feast on this vine.

I also have a beauty berry (callicarpa) and birds love those berries, too.

I have Elderberry, Chokeberry, passiflora incarnata (native), passiflora ceurulea (native) (Gulf Fritillaries use these as host), Partridge Pea, Senna hebecarpa (wild senna) (Sulphur butterflies use them).

I have American bittersweet, too, but you need to plant a male and female to get the orange berries in the fall.

This year, I've added the following to my garden:

Magnolia virginiana (Sweet Bay), which is a host to the Tiger Swallowtail butterflies.

Lindera benzoin (spicebush) which is a host for the Spicebush Swallowtails. Needs a bit of moisture.

Viburnum nudum, spigelia, aesculus parviflora (buckeye), Red Bay, Witch hazel, Button Bush (cephalanthus occidentalis--it's in a pot right now, but I'm going to plant it next to my A/C unit where it gets the water from it), Ironweed, Liatris spicata, Aristolochia tomentosa and macrophylla (native), and A. serpentaria (don't know if it is native, but may be), for the Pipevine Swallowtails, False Nettle (doesn't sting, is native, and hosts Red Admirals, Question Marks), plaintain (for the Buckeyes), Wild Cherry, Black Willow (both for the Red Spotted Purples and Viceroys), Amsonia tabaenermontana, dychoriste (for the Buckeyes), Wild Blue Violets (for the Variegated Fritillaries), and several milkweeds, Asclepias syriaca (common), A. verticillata (whorled), A. viridis (green), etc.

I think that's about it - Dawn, correct me if some of these are not native. But, they are pretty basic plants for birds, butterflies, and moths. Oh, and the beneficials love them, too.

Susan

Susan,

Welcome back. I missed you while your computer was acting up!

As far as I know, everything you listed is a native. If any of those plants are not native, they have been here for so long that they have naturalized, which makes them a native in my book. Oklahoma has such varied terrain, with different kinds of natives in different parts of the state. That's a good thing, though, as the variety of plants attracts all kinds of wildlife.

Dawn

Just called in an order for several different shrubs/small trees! Clear Creek Gardens out of Peggs,OK visits my local farmers market on Wednesdays. So far, I've visited with a nice lady while the rain pounds down on her little white tent. Last week I bought a red buckeye and got a promise from the lady she would send me a catalog. This week I took advantage of the catalog to pre-order for Wednesday and I have some choice shrubs coming my way! I just don't understand why it has to be so hard...Why do you have to find native plants at farmers markets and on the internet? Why don't our local nurseries put more of a focus on the inherent/wildlife benefits of native plants? The possumhaw is a perfect example for me. I walked into a local nursery in mid December and was floored by the almost sculpture-like branches covered in bright red berries. When I did further research (backed up by Okie Dawn's reminder of this great plant) I was reminded this is a native-not some crazy, tempermental exotic. Okie Dawn is right. With OK's varied terrain and central locale, we may have more freedom than any other state to claim plants as native. I am not a purist, and I'm trying to look at some real stunners from different locations that will live here in OK's weather, but it seems that most of the winners day in and day out are native, or cousins thereof...Anyway, I'm off to water the banana tree (just kidding).
I'll let you guys know what I end up planting.

Blytherbean,

The native plant movement has been VERY SLOW to catch on in commercial horticultural circles and I think one reason is that there are a handful of gigantic wholesalers in this country who tend to produce pretty much the same generic stuff for everyone because it is easier (and therefore more profitable) for them. Also, they can make a lot more money from patented hybrids which they continually develop and produce so everyone has to buy the 'latest thing'.

I began using native plants while living in Texas in the mid-1980s, but you couldn't find a native plant in a nursery there. Not a one. You had to find them in the wild, get permission to dig one up, and do it all by yourself.

The Heard Museum in McKinney was one of my first sources for native plants from their annual native plant sale held each spring. Nowadays there are many nurseries in Texas that sell natives, and some of them ONLY sell natives. If you know where to look, you can find virtually any native plant you want at one nursery or another in north-central Texas.

If you want to plant wildflower seeds, there is a fantastic company based in Fredericksburg, called Wildseed Farms that has not only the seeds, but detailed planting info including how-to videos.

Many, many of the nurseries that now sell native plants on the internet started as small mom-and-pop businesses geared towards native plants from their specific region. I am talking about way, way back, even before we could surf the internet and find these nurseries. To a large extent, most of them are still pretty regional, although some now have an extensive mail order and internet business.

In Texas, the native plant movement really began, I think, with Lady Bird Johnson's wildflower plantings. She was the one who led the way in the 1960s and showed everyone that native plants could be just as lovely, and much more resilient, than foreign imports. In the early days, it was organic advocates like Malcolm Beck and Howard Garrett who advocated planting native plants. When Sally Wasowski began writing landscaping books on how to landscape with natives, the movement in Texas really took off and it hasn't slowed down since.

Although Sally Wasowski's books (Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, Native Texas Gardens and Requiem For A Lawnmower, among others) first got me thinking about using natives, it was a book published by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that REALLY made me approach gardening in a whole different way.

That book is called TEXAS WILDSCAPES: GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE. It was published by Texas Parks and Wildlife Press, written by Noreen Damude and Kelly Conrad Bender, and was first published in 1999. I bought it the minute it arrived at the bookstore. This book addresses ALL the various eco-regions in Texas, and advises you what to plant in each region to attract/support the wildlife of that region. It also has a lot of info on the various forms of wildlife, everything from mammals to birds to butterflies to anphibians to reptiles. I love this book. The fact that it is geared towards Texas is not a problem for me since my location in southern Oklahoma is identical to much of Texas.
The same would be true of virtually every place in Oklahoma, since Mother Nature doesn't recognize manmade state boundaries.

When we moved here in 1999, I spent YEARS wandering our acreage with native plant guides in my hand, trying to identify what we had here, so that we wouldn't accidentally wipe out some wonderful plants. It was quite an education.
Going through the repeated droughts which we have encountered most years since moving here has given me a much deeper appreciation for natives because they are so tough.

And, just in case you are wondering, the same tunnel vision we see in the sectors of the horticulture industry that ignore native plants also exists in the vegetable gardening world. For example, if you are shopping for tomato plants (my favorite veggie to grow as everyone here knows quite well) at a nursery or big-box retail store, you will see the same 20 or 30 or 40 varieties in every store. Very often they are from the same wholesaler (Bonnie). Considering that there are THOUSANDS of named varieties of tomatoes, why aren't more offered to the general public? Money. Many of the tomato varieties available today are open-pollinated versions whose seeds have been handed down gardener to gardener over the decades. There's not a lot of money in O-Ps for the garden industry, because a specific company doesn't hold exclusive rights to those seeds, and cannot make a ton of money off of them. They make their money off of newly released hybrids. That is just how the industry is. It is the reason why someone like me who wants to grow a diverse selection of tomato and other vegetable plants has to grow their own from seed. What you see in the tomato world is identical to what occurs in the native plant world.

I hope we all see the day when you can walk into any retail establishment and see an abundant selection of tough, hardy natives that are beneficial for wildlife. However, I doubt that day will ever come. Xeriscaping is the current trend in many states though, so I guess it could happen, but even then I think the horticulture industry would then start trying to create hybrid natives that they could patent, name, sell and earn more $$$$ from.

Dawn

Another native plant purveyor at many Farmer's Markets around the state is Wild Things Nursery. I imagine they are about finished with their round of appearances this year, but you can see some of the plants they offer on their website and e-mail them to see if you can acquire some of them. This is where I got my False Nettles, Ribes odoratum, astragalus crassicarpus, asclepias verticillata. I know they have shrubs and trees as well as perennials and native annuals (which reseed). Marilyn and Ken as just wonderful folks.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Things Nursery

Hi Susan,

I am glad that Wild Things is there and know that it is filling a real need in Oklahoma. I hope the day will come when wildscaping is such a vital part of the home landscaping and home gardening industry that nurseries like Wild Things are the norm and not the exception. But, then, maybe I am dreaming.

Dawn

I know that Sunshine Nursery in Clinton (is that the name?) also carries mostly native things, too. But, it's hard for me to drive clear out there. Maybe Blytherbean doesn't mind????

Susan

The 2007 Route 66 Festival is coming up later in June in Clinton. That might be a fun trip for someone.....to go to Clinton for the festival AND to visit Sunshine Nurseries!

Dawn

Boy the leaves of Eve's Necklace sure look a lot like GM's mystery plant from a few weeks ago.... hmmmm

Question about the Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)... Does it need to be supported as a vine, or could I allow it to run wild along the ground as a ground cover? I've seen some Clemantis used as a mounding ground cover and considered them, but I have a very large partyly shady/sunny area that I need to fill. Will Crossvine be too dense to allow Shasta Daisy's and Coneflower to come through it?

Thanks
Courtney

Courtney,

I have grown crossvine on a chain link fence, at our home in Fort Worth in the 1980s/1990s, and I have grown it here in Oklahoma on an arbor since 1999. I have never seen it sprawl on the ground as a ground cover, but it is my understanding that it is often used that way.

It will make a pretty dense cover of foliage over time, but I think that if it and the shasta daisies/coneflowers were all planted at the same time (or if the daisies/coneflowers precede it), the crossvine shouldn't overwhelm them and choke them out.

Another excellent native type of groundcover is Virginia Creeper. It creeps on the grounds in our woodland areas and doesn't seem to climb up into the trees too much (perhaps because the poison ivy and greenbriar have already climbed all the available trees! lol). On the east side of our house, it is climbing the wall of the 2 story house and has just about reached the roof. It has taken it several years to climb that high though. As a bonus, it attracts some kind of butterfly or moth. I don't remember which one, but I bet Susan knows.

I have 'Tangerine Beauty' crossvine on an arbor with 'Flava' trumpet creeper and it is a true hummingbird magnet. I think crossvine would make a beautiful ground cover, and it is semi-evergreen so you'd still have some leaves on it for most of the winter.

One of the great things about American Crossvine is that it is one of the primary flowering vines that hummingbirds rely on when migrating. So, in the springtime, when the American Crossvine and the Trumpet Creeper start blooming, the hummers are right behind them.

Dawn

That would be a hard decision - hmmmmmmm. Hummingbirds or moths? Hummingbirds or moths? I'd probably get both! LOL!

Virginia Creeper does host several moths - pandora sphinx, eumorpha sphinx, Nessus sphinx, eight-spotted foresters, and grapeleaf rollers (also pretty little moths), Virginia Creeper sphinx, and probably many more. However, those are the most likely ones found in Oklahoma.

Trumpet Vine also has it's own sphinx, too. Plebeian sphinx. It's not as pretty as some of the sphinx moths, but it is still an excellent pollinator. The moth cats are prettier than the adult moth. They are a very muted shade of green, with a blue horn! Since bignonia is in the same family, I would imagine you may find them on it, too. They don't appear in large numbers, nor do they appear every year. I've only had one on mine - that I've found anyway.

I don't think trumpet vine or bignonia would be at it's best in partial shade, though. While it will bloom some, it won't bloom a lot.

For partial shade, you might want to try Sweet Autumn clematis. It blooms in the late summer to fall. I like your idea about the clematis, too. They will ramble on the ground and should bloom well for you in that kind of exposure.

Oh, BTW, the plant you gave me at the exchange, is peppergrass. I finally ID'd it. It is a host plant for the common checkered whites - I'm so glad I have some now! Thanks, Courtney!

Susan

Thanks for the suggestions, I know it was a little off topic. The Clemantis that I was thinking about is the Sweet Autum, I just couldn't remember the name of it earlier. Susan was right on the money with that one.

The bed that I'm thinking of adding this to is HUGE. Approx 1000 sqft. I might try one of each and see how well they do. If they are stuggling from lack of sun, then I can always move them to the fenceline. (Much to Hubby's dismay) Our sprinkler heads are a few inches back from the fence and DH is afraid that the plants will impede the sprinklers ability to cover the lawn. That and he doesn't want obstacles while trying to mow. I tried to convince him that if I just cover the yard with plants, I can eliminate mowing all toegther, but I guess the kids need a place to play :)

I'm glad you were able to ID that plant. I'm still looking for the Cudweed! I gave up on the Croton though. I keep finding the exotic (tropical) Croton in the nurseries... boy are they proud of those!!

Courtney, I have tons of volunteer Sweet Autumn Clematis if you want some for free!

Susan

I'd love some! add it to my list :))) I still have the Poppy seeds if you still want them