GO NATIVE! Native Crossroads plants offer advantages to gardens
By Carla Rodriguez
June 1, 2024
Rock rose. (Photo by Carla Rodriguez)
Blue Mistflower. (Photo by Carla Rodriguez)
Butterfly Gaura. (Photo by Carla Rodriguez)
It’s the middle of the summer. It has been 100 degrees for over ten days.
You having to float a loan to pay for your water bill, and your grass is still turning brown. Sound familiar?
Maybe you are thinking that there has to be a better way. Lucky for you, the answer is — go native! By native, I mean using plants that are naturally found in our area. They have evolved over thousands of years and have adapted to our environment.
There are several advantages of planting native plants and grasses. Because of their deeper root systems, they help prevent soil erosion. They are drought tolerant and hardier. They are also more resistant to diseases and pests.
I’m not suggesting that you rip out all of your carpet grass, but why not try to reduce the amount of carpet grass that you have. You can extend your beds and incorporate native plants, and/or replace sections of your yard with native grasses.
You might start with that no man’s land between the sidewalk and the curb. It usually has no shade and the brutal heat from the concrete and the road makes it hard to keep anything alive. A good replacement would be frogfruit — that is not a typo.
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflore var. incise) is a ground cover that does very well in the hot sun because the growth pattern is similar to Bermuda grass with deep roots. You don’t need to mow it. It needs very little water, and produces little white flowers that attract butterflies.
My favorite ornamental native grass is the Pink Muhlygrass (Nuhlen bergia capillaris). It grows to be about two to three feet tall. It produces beautiful pink plumes from September to November. It requires medium to dry soil and part shade to full sun. It is very low maintenance, and it is not prone to diseases, pests, or deer. Muhlygrass also provides cover for little critters and birds. This plant is a Texas superstar.
Another great Texas native is the Butterfly Guara (Oenothera lindheimeri).
It will grow to be about three to five feet tall. It has small pink blooms that the butterflies and bees love. This plant does not like “wet feet”, but loves full sun. It comes back even after the most brutal winters. This plant also grows well in containers.
A native plant you will see in gardens around Victoria is Rock Rose (Pavonia lasiopetala). This small shrub grows up to four feet tall and is found in rocky soil.
It has a showy pink to rose colored flower that blooms from spring to fall. This little work horse is very low maintenance. It grows in poor soil, withstands extreme heat, is drought tolerant, and deer resistant. It will require some light pruning to keeps its shape. Mostly no pest or diseases except an occasional visit from aphids. Avoid over-watering this beauty.
A Texas native, which I have in my yard, is the Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) which is in the Aster family. This plant needs water when the soil dries. It can grows one to almost three feet high with blue and purple blooms from summer to fall. Bees and butterflies cover this plant when it blooms.
You can trim this plant in the spring to prevent drooping. It should be divided in the spring. Seeds need to be planted in the fall. This plant survives even our worst winters and the deer are not too fond of it.
Looking for more ideas, visit the native garden area at the Victoria Educational Gardens located at 333 Bachelor Drive. You will be welcome from dawn to dusk seven days a week.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County.
REFERENCES:
THE SPRUCE: How to Grow and Care for Gaura (Wandflower)
WILDFLOWER .ORG Native Plants
LAWNSTARTER: Lawn Care