Best Native Plants For North Texas:
Plants are a lovely way to add color and character to your home, but they can also require a lot of time and money if they are too temperamental. Luckily, there are plenty of gorgeous native plants to choose from that should be well-suited to your yard. There are many advantages to using native plants. For instance, since they are native, they tend to grow very well and require relatively little upkeep. Here are just some of the native plants you can choose from when figuring out how to dress up your outdoor space.
Hibiscus
Hibiscus plants come in a wide variety of colors and are known for their large, beautiful flowers. Those same flowers make them an excellent choice for hummingbird gardens or gardens that have fountains or small ponds. Keep in mind, though, that they can reach heights of up to twelve feet and they typically bloom from July until the first frost of the year.
Native Texas Hibiscus Highlight: Texas Star Hibiscus
The Texas Hibiscus is a tender, multi-branched native perennial plant that is perfect for gardens that want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It thrives in wet areas, so having a fountain or a pond nearby is best for this type of plant. Smaller than some other hibiscus varieties, they are typically between 4-7ft tall and about 2-3 ft wide. During the months from June to October, it features 3 to 4 inch wide blooms that can be crimson red or a white star shaped bloom.
While the Texas Star Hibiscus can be planted in many different soil types, they do best in moist well drained soils. In addition to being gorgeous, they are also easy to take care of since they grow rapidly and do not require much care, making them perfect for anyone who wants eye-catching blossoms with minimal effort.
Verbena
Verbena plants are known for their long lasting blooms that perform well during the hottest days of the summer. They can come in either annual or perennial types so you can choose to change them up every year or stand by your favorites. These plants need to be planted in the sunniest and driest areas of your garden to have their best chance of thriving.
Native Texas Verbana Highlight: The Blue Princess Verbena
This particular variety is a little more versatile and can thrive in either the sun or partial shade. It is a low-spreading herbaceous perennial known for its bright lavender flowers which makes it perfect for gardens that are geared towards attracting butterflies. Specifically, they can grow to about 6-12 inches in height and about 2-3 feet wide and bloom during the months of February, March, April, May, September, and October.
When deciding to plant Blue Princess Verbena, make sure to plant them during a summer day in well-drained soil, especially soil that is clay, sandy, and thin; do not over water them or you will risk your lovely plants developing a powdery mildew that can compromise their health. Apart from overwatering, verbena is relatively hardy and can withstand a freeze. Really, the most important thing with verbena is to not be too overbearing with plant care. The only real maintenance it needs is to be sheared after it blooms.
Dwarf Mexican Petunia
The dwarf Mexican petunia, also known as a dwarf ruella, is great for groundcover in gardens with its grassy leaves and flowers clustered around the center of each plant. It is perfect for use in entryways into gardens or border plants to create a nice cottage-garden aesthetic. Similarly, it is great near the foundation of homes or gazebos.
These plants grow about 10 inches tall and typically feature bright white, pink, or violet flowers that are perfect for attracting butterflies. While they grow best in full sun or partial shade, they require regular watering to stay lush. Similarly, while the plants are cold resistant, they may appear to die in the winter. However, when the spring comes around, they’ll spring right back to life, too!
Texas Lavender Vitex Tree
This lively plant goes by a variety of names including Mexican lavender, lilac chaste tree, hemp tree, sage tree, monk’s pepper, Indian spice, and vitex. The plethora of names all describe a deciduous large shrub or small tree with distinctive palmately compound leaves and beautiful spikes of lavender flowers. It blooms during the early summer and then more sporadically as the season goes on and throughout the fall, or in other words, blooms from May until the first frost. To grow to its fullest potential which is typically between 10-15 feet tall and up to 15 feet wide, it needs to be planted in full or partial sun.
Myrtles
Myrtles typically grow up to 16.5 ft. high and come in a few different varieties. They typically have thick leaves, small translucent, oil-bearing glands, and solitary white flowers that grow about 0.7 inches long that grow from short stalks. They can bear a purplish black, many seeded berry, and can also come in yellow-fruited or white-fruited varieties.
Native Texas Myrtle Highlight: Crape Myrtle
These towering 17 foot high plants are common in Fort Worth gardens which makes sense considering that these plants thrive in hot climates such as the ones found in North Texas. Their many different shades of vibrant flowers that include white, purple, red, and pink add an eye-catching look to any garden in the spring and especially while they bloom from July through September. While they are able to adapt to different surroundings, making them great for any purpose or spot in your garden, they do best if they are planted where they can get full sun.
Need Help Creating the Perfect Native Texas Landscape?
Native plants offer many benefits, from their ease of upkeep to their local pride to decreased costs due to lower maintenance requirements. With a variety of beautiful native plants to choose from, you can find a native plant to suit almost every one of your landscaping needs. If you’d like to take advantage of all that native plants have to offer but you’re not confident in your botanical knowledge, our experienced team at Landscape By Design is happy to help you figure out the best plants for your needs and place them where they’ll have their best chance of thriving. Our team is happy to work with you to create your perfect native Texas landscape, so make sure to contact us to schedule an appointment today!