Will and Becky aren't from Texas and that's one reason they needed help with their landscape. Most of the plants that grow up north don't do well in Texas. So, I'm going to give them a little help. Here are some of the plants that will work well in their yard under the conditions they are dealing with.
-Pride of Houston Yaupon Holly is a great native. Usually they will get about 10' tall and 8' wide. The birds love their red berries in the winter.
-Bicolor Iris will get about 3' tall and if it gets enough sun it will bloom all summer.
-Yew Podocarpus is about the only plant that is easy to keep from getting too wide. And they are very hardy.
-Nellie Steven Holly is a beautiful shrub. It has dark green leaves and is easy to keep in the 6'-8' height range.
-Emerald Goddess Liriope is like Big Blue but it gets taller...maybe 12" tall.
-Giant Liriope will get about 18"-24" tall. This one has been here over 20 years.
There are hundreds of different varieties of Day Lilies.
Here are three:
Orange Fulva
-Ruby Spider
-Stella de Oro, which is known to be one of the longest and repeat bloomer each year.
-For a sunny spot try Orange Bulbine. It blooms from spring to winter
-Holly Fern is an evergreen fern that does best in the shade.
-Society Garlic also blooms nonstop in a sunny location.
-Purple Heart Wandering Jew is classified as an annual but it is root hardy in our area. It will freeze down and return as soon as the weather warms up in the spring.
-Variegated Flax Lily does great in the shade and can even handle a little bit of full sun
-Blue Pincushion Flower is a funky little plant that blooms a lot.
-One of the most popular perennials in Central Texas is Autumn Sage. You can find different selections that bloom red, pink, coral, and white. It is mostly evergreen.
-Plumbago is perennial that gets about 2' tall and wide. It's most commonly seen with blue flowers, but there is a selection that blooms white. It will freeze back in the winter and return in the spring. The white flowers really stand out along a redwood fence. And the blue looks great when planted next to white limestone wall.
-Drift roses are dwarf ever blooming shrub roses Here is Pink Drift. It will get about 18" tall and blooms nonstop.
-Double Knockout also blooms nonstop red shrub rose. They are disease resistant and easy to maintain. By shearing them during the summer, you can keep them 3'-4' tall.
-Pink Double Knockout Rose does the same thing...only it's pink.
-Cast Iron Plant loves the shade. It will get about 2' tall and adds more leaves every year.
-Cherry Blast Loropetalum has burgundy foliage and produces a fringelike bloom in early spring. It can take full sun or partial shade.
-Gold Dust Aucuba is a shade loving plant. It will get about 5' tall in about 5-7 years.
Giant Leopard Plant is a unique plant that does best in the shade. There are several different forms. The Spotted variety, the Crested variety, and the Giant are the most common. And they bloom in December with sunflower-like yellow flowers.
These summer perennial are strong bloomers year after year...
-Four Nerve Daisy has a reputation for blooming 12 months of the year.
-Mystic Spires Salvia will bloom about 10 months and get about 30" tall.
-Goldsturm Daisy starts blooming in June and quits in about September or October.
Here are a few more drought resistant plants
-Asparagus Fern- this isn't really a fern but it cascades over the edge of a bed or out of a handing basket like a fern. They usually freeze back in the winter and return in the spring.
-Foxtail Fern- Also not a fern but Asparagus myeri. But the fronds are very full and fluffy.
-Lamb's Ear- a native plant that is also known as Nature's Toilet Paper because it's so soft.
A great perennial that loves the hot sun is Autumn Sage (aka Salvia greggii). Though it blooms great in the fall, it also blooms it's heart out in the spring and summer. If it quits blooming in the summer, but off those spent bloom stalks and it will regrow and bloom again.
-Sago Palms do well in San Antonio and add a tropical touch to the yard.
-For one of the most beautiful drought resistant plants Golden Barrel Cactus is the ticket
-For a drought resistant ground cover try Wooly Stemodia.
And if you like a border to your flower beds here are three good plants you can use
-Variegated Liriope add color to a solid green area
-Big Blue Liriope has been doing this for years.
-Aztec Grass is also variegated but it might freeze back in a cold winter.
And if you want a drought resistant flower bed here are three plants that will add color and make life more interesting all summer long.
-Brake Light Yucca isn't really a yucca but it looks like one. The blooms are short and dark red.
-Yellow Hesperaloe is a relative of Brake Light
-And Red Yucca is the granddaddy of them all.
Okay, so you just want a simple hedge...maybe with bright leaves or spring flowers. Here are three good choices: -Kaleidoscope Abelia- golden leaves and a touch of orange when the weather gets cooler.
-Springtime Indian Hawthorn. Spring pink flowers/
-Radiance Abelia-creamy variegation and compact growth makes this one of my favorites.
Well, that's about it for today. Let me know if you have any questions.
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