​Looking for a beautiful native wildflower to add to your garden? Look no further than Cutleaf Daisy, also known by the common name Engelmann’s Daisy and scientific name Engelmannia peristenia! One of my favorite Texas native plants, Cutleaf Daisy has large, showy yellow flowers through spring and summer. It can handle full sun and intense heat, and is drought tolerant thanks to its deep taproot.
​Agarita (Berberis trifoliolata or Mahonia trifoliolata) is an evergreen shrub with holly-like foliage that thrives in full sun and provides year-round interest in your garden. It has clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in early spring, bright red berries in summer, and evergreen foliage throughout winter!
Have you sowed some wildflower seeds and want to be able to identify what is starting to sprout? Here is your wildflower identification field guide! I hope these photos will help you identify common Texas wildflowers while they are still seedlings, also known as basal rosettes.
Here in Texas, these seedlings start appearing long before spring! I’ve listed them by their common name and scientific names, along with a photo of the seedling and the wild flower in bloom.
Did you know that your garden can not only look good, it can do good for the Earth? Whether you have a flower garden, vegetable garden, or a landscaped bed, a few simple changes can make a big difference.
We had one of the hottest summers on record here in Texas, but the Desert Willow tree (Chilopsis linearis) didn’t seem to notice! This small tree thrives in full sun and hot temps.
A lot of people have been singing the praises of Desert Willow trees lately. The beautiful tubular flowers remind me of orchid blooms. I’m going to bet that this is going to be one of the most popular native plants in Texas going forward!
What did I do on my recent trip to Las Vegas? I took a hike in search for Nevada native plants, of course! This past September, I spent a gorgeous afternoon hiking at Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave Desert. Check out these cool native plants I spotted!
Want a plant that thrives in full sun and blooms through the hot Texas summer? You need some Esperanza plants in your life! Also known as Yellow Bells, the scientific name for this plant is Tecoma stans. This shrub has bright yellow bell-shaped flowers paired with olive green leaves. It is one of the few Texas native ornamental shrubs that is frequently used by San Antonio landscapers. I have one in my garden and love it!
These five native Texas fall flowers not only look good, they DO good in your garden beds! They serve as host plants for butterflies and moths and provide a critical nectar source for Monarch butterflies which migrate through the state at this time of year. In fact, several of these native species are considered keystone species – some of the best pollinator plants around!
Four-Nerve Daisy is low-growing and evergreen, making it a versatile plant at the front of a landscaping bed, in a zeriscape, or in a container pot. Its delicate flowers sway in the breeze!
Lemon Mint (Monarda citriodora) may just be my favorite Texas wildflower! I love its unique stacked blooms and pretty purple flowers. This plant goes by more than one common name – you may have also heard it called Lemon Beebalm, Horsemint, or Lemon Bergamot. All are referring to the same plant! Native to the southern US, this wildflower can handle full sun to partial shade. It starts putting on basal leaves in early spring and blooms in the summer.
