"Shady" flowers =]

This week I worked on finding native plants that grow well in the shade. I tried to go to the library to find books about native plants, but they did not include information about where the plants like to grow. The book “Tough Plants for Tough Places” by Gary Vergine sounded promising, but was not very helpful. I found various websites with lists of shade hardy plants, but the most helpful websites were the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center: Native Plant Database and the USDA plant profiles. The Native plant database has a list of recommended plants for central Texas, so I looked through the list searching for plants that prefer shady or partly shady areas (this took a very long time). I also looked up plants from other websites to see if they were native to this area. The plants I am considering are: Tropical Sage (there is an abundance of this at my house, I can transplant a few), Turks Caps, Cardinal Flowers, Wild Red Columbine, Jack-in-the-pulpit, and Prairie Goldenrod. I am not sure if I will have room for vegetables, but if I do some options are: broccoli, cauliflower, and leafy vegetables. These will still grow, but they may grow slower than if they were in full sun. Next week I plan to clear and plan the area. As well as determining how to get these plants and when to plant them.