Becca Dickstein

The designated plant of the season for Operation Natives Instead of Common Exotics (NICE!) is pigeon berry, a perennial ground cover for shade.

Pigeon berry (Rivina humilis), also called coralito or rouge plant, is native to the southern United States as far north as Oklahoma.

It is a small, shrubby perennial that can grow from 18 to 34 inches tall in North Texas with smooth (glabrous) leaves that are 1 to 3 inches long. It has an upright habit.

Pigeon berry is deciduous, going dormant over the winter in North Texas.

Pigeon berry has very small, pinkish-white flowers during most of its growing season that give rise to brilliant red berries. The plant often has berries and flowers at the same time.

Pigeon berry can be planted in dappled, part or full shade and in many types of soil.

It should be watered after planting and again every other week during its first growing season.

Once established, pigeon berry will grow with existing rainfall because of its drought tolerance; during extreme drought, it may go dormant but will re-emerge from the soil after the first rainfall.

Pigeon berry is an outstanding addition to shady areas that are not irrigated.

Its wavy foliage is very attractive, and its red berries are irresistible to birds and will attract a variety of birds to your yard.

However, neither the berries nor other parts of this plant are for human consumption.

Consider using pigeon berry instead of hosta in shady areas; pigeon berry won’t need the supplemental water that hosta must have to survive North Texas summers.

Look for “Plant of the Season” signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating North Texas nursery.

Look for “NICE!” on the signs and sheets.

Participating nurseries include Decatur Garden Center, Four Seasons Nursery in Denton, Huggin’s Nursery in Flower Mound, Katy’s Nursery & Produce in Gainesville, Lantana Gardens in Bartonville, Lavender Ridge Farms in Gainesville, Main Street Home and Gardens in Decatur, Meador’s Nursery in Denton, Painted Flower Farm in Denton and Shades of Green Nursery in Frisco.

And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.

BECCA DICKSTEIN is a member of the Trinity Forks Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas, which meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of January, February, March, April, May, September and October on the second floor of Texas Woman’s University’s ACT building. She is a member of the University of North Texas biological sciences faculty.