One of the challenges of landscaping in East Texas occurs when you live in an area that has lots of beautiful oak and pine trees on your lot (or surrounding lots). Trying to find colorful shrubs that tolerate shade is not always so easy for the novice gardener.
Two plants that we have in our backyard at Hideaway Lake appear to do well in the partial shade areas. The first is the Rose of Sharon shrub (Hibiscus syrianus). A member of the mallow family, it has done well in a raised bed where it gets filtered sun most of the day. We keep it pruned to about 4-5'. It is a deciduous shrub that produces bright pink blooms during the summer months. A potential pest problem is scale insect.
The second plant is a forsythia (Forsythia intermedia). This is a small, deciduous shrub that is about 5' tall in our backyard. It does well in the filtered sun and produces bright yellow blooms in the spring. It is in a raised bed that has good drainage. We have not had any insect or disease issues with this plant.
Jerry D. Mullins, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
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