Planting texas native plants (mostly)

I’ve finally done it.  I pulled the trigger on a design for the main focal point of my yard.

When we bought our house, the backyard was 100% dead turf grass.  Even though there was a sprinkler system in place, a lot of it was broken, and the yard was severely neglected.  What little topsoil there was,  was compacted, and tough, lots of little rocks were everywhere, and there was a significant crabgrass infestation.  I’m guessing what was in my yard is what 93.7% of American homes have in their backyard.

So I began to work.  First it was a few hours during the weekend bagging leaves, and clearing rocks and the biggest weeds.  Progress was slow (I’ll try to find photos of the starting point), but steady, and I became discouraged several times that I’d never be at the point where I could begin planting.  Texas soil is Hard, and Tough, but not as tough as some of the dessert I worked when I was in Israel for a year.  I knew that if I just kept at it, a little bit at a time, I’d have a plot of land that would be worth it.  I was also encouraged by all the great bloggers that put up such great encouragement every day.  Some of my favorites are in the sidebar on the left.

I’d read the posts, take notes of design, and my favorite Texas plants, and plan.

Last weekend, I was finally satisfied with the site preparation, and headed out to some local nurseries and went shopping:

Here are the plants that are going into the corner. Of course these are just the foundation - there's room for lots more.

Overall I went to three different nurseries in Austin:  I got the two biggest pots: a white cameilla, and Rose of Sharon (on the left) at the pink flamingo nursery in Austin at the corner of Bee Caves and 360.  Then I headed to Lowes to get the mexican feather grass, aztec grass, verbena, and picked up some winter lavender on sale,  and finally I ended at my neighborhood nursery, the Red Barn nursery in Austin up at 183 and Mc Neil to get the  hummingbrid plant, skullcap, and passion vine.

Lots of native plants as a foundation

I’d never, ever recommend going to a big box store nursery on a spring weekend. EVER! It’s worse than going to a shopping mall before christmas.

And a litle bit of color. I love how the different textures compliment each other, too

The red plants are verbena, bright red and pretty drought tolerant when put into well drained soil. These little red blooms should stick around all summer.

Putting the bigger plants in the back anchors the area, and I stick the others in the ground in lines that are pleasing to the eye.

In the summer this tiny little flame acanthus, will thrive, and produce beautiful red blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

These Texas native gasses are planted in a line to define the space, and lead the eye in to the "better" areas

I’ve never been a fan of hard borders in gardens. My personal feeling is by using ground covers effectively, you can control turfgrass and lawns easily, and with much less edging and mowing. I also seem to stub my toe because I like to work barefoot on nice days. Here I’m using Texas skullcap as a ground cover. Again, it is drought tolerant, and will grow to about a foot heigh, and spread out to define the space. I don’t know if I got pink or purple flowers. Let’s hope they aren’t mixed.

Once all the plants are in the ground, I spred some Texas Native Hardwood mucch over all the dirt. This helps keep moisture in, gives a bit of nutrients to the soil, makes everything look more uniform, and has a great smell.

I ran out of mulch before I could get the back area done, but you get the idea.

How did you begin your garden? I’d love to hear your stories.