Find information on what to plant in your own gardens this fall (or any time of the year) as well as learn about local events, volunteer opportunities, native plant presentations, local online resources and more! There are so many different ways you can be involved – find the information you are looking for here to participate in Native Plant Week in Houston.
EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS
October 14, Landscaping with Texas Native Plants – Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Learn about the vast variety of plant, tree, and shrub species native to the Houston area and the benefits that they can bring to your yard with Joe Blanton, the Arboretum’s Conservation Director. After a classroom presentation, tour the Arboretum’s landscaped grounds, including several demonstration gardens. Cost: $30 for members; $45 for non-members.
October 18, The Role of Native Plants in Year-Around-Gardening in Houston — Presentation by Dr. Bob Randall, Founding Executive Director, Urban Harvest. Hosted by the Native Plant Society of Texas/Houston Chapter from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center in Memorial Park. More information.
October 20-21, Fall Native Plant Sale – Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. 9:00 am—4:00 pm. More information, including a plant list.
TRIED AND TRUE NATIVE PLANTS
Annuals/Perennials:
Black-eyed Susan (Redbeckia hirta)
Gulf Coast Penstemon (Penstemon tenuis)
Gaillardia/Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Blue Mistflower (Eupatorium sp.)
Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum ascendens)
Butterflyweed (Asclepias sp.)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Gayfeather (Liatris species)
Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa)
Shrubs/Vines:
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana)
Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus drummondii)
Southern Bayberry/Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera)
Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
Small/Large Trees:
Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana)
Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua)
Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Water Oak (Quercus nigra)
View list of small trees recommended for the Houston area
LOCAL DEMONSTRATION GARDENS
- Sheldon Lake State Park Wildscape Demonstration Garden near the visitor’s center (15315 Business Hwy 90/Old Beaumont Highway)
- W.G. Jones State Forest Wildscapes Demonstration & Pollinator Gardens, (at Texas Forest Service District Office building, FM 1488, Conroe) – Beautiful native plants attract bees, moths, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies and hummingbirds. A new addition to the W. G. Jones Forest Pollinator Gardens is a puddling area to attract more butterflies.
- Lone Star College, CyFair campus (on Barker Cypress Rd. on west side of Houston) – entire campus is certified as a Wildscape.
- Houston Zoo – a native plant garden in the Children’s Zoo section, created and maintained by Gulf Coast Master Naturalists.
- Houston Arboretum and Nature Center – native plant gardens
- Jesse Jones Park & Nature Center (at visitor’s center) – native plant gardens
- Butterfly Garden at Buffalo Run Park (Buffalo Run Drive, Missouri City)
- Wildscape Gardens, Mercer Arboretum in Humble
- Backyard Habitat @ Moody Gardens
- There are several “Pocket Prairies” around town:
• Hermann Park, just opposite of the Japanese Garden
• Just west of Buffalo Bayou on S. Braeswood on the Brays Bayou easement
• Mandell Park
• Russ Pitman Park in Bellaire
• Sims Bayou Nature Center
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Native Plant Information for Houston (scroll to the bottom of the page)
- Coastal Prairie Partnership
- Coastal Prairie Plant Growers’ Handbook
- The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Plants of the Galveston Bay Area
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey’s Paradise Lost: The Coastal Prairie of Louisiana and Texas – photos of prairie plants and more
- Green Guide to Yard Care
- Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control
- Buchanan’s Native Plants
- Pineywoods Nursery and Landscaping
