9 Gorgeous Plants That Are Texas Natives!

And Why A Native Lawn Is Better Than A Grass Lawn

We've talked before about the idea of more natural landscaping and turning away from having your yard or garden as just a lawn of grass. More than being a "popular" idea, it's also better for your home and your water bill. This week we're taking a look at turning the land around your home into a garden that's more representative of native Texas plants. Since planning something like this can take all winter to plan and source, if not longer, we figured we'd get the ball rolling now. Some of these plants are decorative, some are edible, and many are attractive to different pollinators. 

What does "native" mean here?  

So what exactly does "native" mean? A native plant is one that has lived in Texas prior to Europeans coming to the continent. The spread of Europeans across North America brought all sorts of plants over, and while many have adapted, not all of them have. More important is that some of them have negatively affected the pre-existing flora and fauna of Texas and North America as a whole.  If you're looking to replace invasive species in your yard, or you just want to know what to avoid, here's a quick list. Japanese honeysuckle, Brazilian pepper, Chinese tallowtree, musk thistle, Macartney rose, scotch thistle, yellow star thistle, Malta star thistle, blessed milk thistle, jointed goatgrass, Christ-thorn, Camel thorn, and Chinese privet are all examples. Again, invasive plants are those that spread naturally in an area because they don't have predators in the new area. More importantly, they can easily take over an area and displace the native plants.

We will say that so long as something isn't invasive (consider something like kudzu which will choke out all other plants) you can plant whatever you want. 

A quick note, we have included the Latin names for most of the plants we're suggesting so that you can search for that variety specifically. 

Courtesy of Baker Creek

Wild Petunia 

Many of us want to switch over to different options for ground covers so as not to lose our precious topsoil. For that we suggest the Wild Petunia, a low, wide-spreading plant that loves to  bloom all throughout summer. You'll get beautiful pale lilac blooms from the Ruellia nudiflora without having to fight with it.

Lemon beebalm

Many of us are using our gardens to grow plants that can supplement our tables or our medicine cabinets these days. If that's you, or you just want a beautiful flower, you might enjoy the lemon beebalm or lemon mint plant. Also known as Monarda citriodora, this plant puts out beautiful blooms early on in summer to draw in all sorts of pollinators.

Courtesy of Baker Creek

Courtesy of Texas Beyond History

Yucca 

When you want a plant that can thrive as a hedge, a container plant or a border plant, a yucca is a great addition to your garden. You could even go so far as to include several different varieties of yucca in your yard as the plant comes in a large variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

 Texas Redbud 

If you're looking for a shrub that will flower all through summer, check out the Texas Redbud. Although they're really more of a pink than a red, we think that the blooms are absolutely lovely. To learn more about it and what it needs, you can look up Cercis canadensis var. texensis.

Courtesy of North Carolina State University

Courtesy of Baker Creek

Purple coneflower 

When looking at this plant, you'll quickly understand how it gets its common name. The Latin name, though is Echinacea purpurea, which gives a clue to just how useful it is in your home. Purple coneflower is part of the echinacea family and is commonly used for treating pain and inflammation alongside the cold or flu. The flowers are easy to grow, with their blooms starting in early spring and lasting all through summer.

Beautyberry 

Who wouldn't love a plant called Beautyberry? The plant creates stunning clusters of berries that can feed local birds and animals.  Although technically edible, we don't suggest eating them raw as the beautyberry is rather astringent. The Beautyberry or Callicarpa americana also has lovely long, arching branches and bright green foliage to attract the eye even when the berries are no longer in season.

Courtesy of Amazon

Courtesy of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Crossvine

You might be looking for something to bring in a pop of color to a gazebo or trellis, or your outdoor kitchen. There we're going to suggest the Crossvine or Bignonia capreolata. These beauties are a climbing vine that are colorful all year long. In spring, you get beautiful blooms in fiery yellows, oranges, and reds, while in cooler months, you see the leaves shade from vibrant green to a beautiful purple.

Winecup 

These cup-shaped, deep purple wildflowers have stems and foliage that spread along the ground and form a thick mat, making them a great choice for ground cover in landscaping. The drought-tolerant winecup, aka purple poppy mallow, blooms in spring, when its flowers open each morning and close each night.

Courtesy of Nana’s Bloomers

Courtesy of Native Backyards

Texas Mountain Laurel

If you're wanting something that will impress friends and family, both with its height and with the beautiful blooms, look no further than the Texas Mountain Laurel. Also called Sophora secundiflora, this tree blooms in beautiful shades of white and purple in spring and summer. 

Which ones are your favorites? Do you know more about native plants in Texas? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. As always, we love to hear from you! 

If you're here because your appliances are costing you money, not your yard, it's cool. We're actually specialists in appliance repair. (You couldn't tell, could you? haha.) So no matter which of your major appliances are making your day chaotic, don't fret; we can help. Just reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We'll work with you to set up a date and time that work for you to have one of our professionals come and fix what's wrong. At Appliance Rescue Service, our goal is to get your home running smoothly again.  

7 Ways To Build a Living Wall

How to build your own living wall, to bring plants into your home for a brighter, healthier home. 

This month we're focusing on outdoors-y things, from setting up for a backyard party, to choosing the best grill for you, and a few others. This week's post is focusing on making your space more inviting with a living wall of plants! It's not just a wonderfully popular trend right now, it's also an amazingly useful and restorative concept to include in your home. Having plants around the home has been proven to be good for you body, mind and soul. Not only does having more green around the home help with your health (provided you choose plants you're not allergic to) but it also gives you a sense of peace when it comes to tending them.  With all of that in mind you're probably asking "how do I make a living wall then Blogger?" Fortunately for you, that's just what we're going to cover, 8 different ways you might make your own at home, whether it's outdoor, or in. 

Pallet Living Wall

Photo courtesy of Backyard Boss

If you're looking for a way to get a living wall into place quickly, without having to do much building or designing, a pallet wall is a good choice. Get hold of 2-3 pallets from your local hardware store (they're typically willing to just give them away, but be sure to ask.) Once you've got them home, give them a quick run over with sanding paper, a hammer and possibly a grinding saw, to get rid of any rough or dangerous spots. You can paint or stain them if you want, we like the rough wood look ourselves, but it's up to you how much of the pallet is going to be showing. Next is to choose, do you want the wall to be horizontal, making a low wall, or would you rather have one tall section? Keep in mind that both choices are going to affect how you interact with the plants you choose and caring for them. From here go ahead and attach them to your chosen surface.  Some options here for you: you can attach them to your fence, to a wall of your house, or to build a frame for them. Then your final step is to fill them with earth (take your pick here, there are posts that are far better at discussing the differences in dirt and how they affect plants than us) and fill in the openings with the plants of your choosing. We like ivys as they will flow both up and down, and create a very real "wall" given time. 

Using Mortar Screws

Photo courtesy of Angela Rose Home

If a pallet wall isn't your thing, you might consider attaching planters directly to a wall of your house. Make sure that whichever wall you choose is stable and won't be damaged by having mortar screws driven into it. Then get hold of a set of planters you like and a drill. Drill through the planter and set a starting hole into the mortar of your wall. Then get hold of your mortar screw and attach the planter. Like before, your final step is to fill your planters with your choice of dirt and plants. We think this type of planter set up is great for herbs of different types, giving each planter their own space. 

Fencing or Chicken Wire Living Wall

This one is going to sound a bit weird, but if you have ever seen how ivy grows, you'll understand. Make a wall using either fencing, or chicken wire, or a combination of both. Then choose your plant that will twine and grow up said wall. Honeysuckle? Ivy? Hydrangeas? (Yup, they climb!) Nasturtiums or Climbing Roses? All of these, and so many more are options.  All you need to do is to plant them at the base of you wall, and as they grow, weave them through the gaps. With time you will have a full living wall to add to your backyard. 

Chains Attached to or Connecting Planters

If you're looking for something a little more artistic, this might be up your alley. Start by either building a frame, like an upside-down and very square U. Then attach flat bottomed planters to two lengths of chain, one on either side. Our suggestion is to drill through the sides of your planters and use eyebolts along with washers and nuts on the inside. Repeat this process at heights that work for you, making sure to take into account the heights your desired plants should grow to, plus two inches or so. So if you're using succulents that you plan to keep relatively small, you might only need 5 inches or so between the top of one planter and the bottom of the one above it.  If you want something like onions, though, as an example, you need to consider that they can grow as much as 18 inches in height. 

Planters with Hooks

What if you've already got a wall, though? But it's too large for you to try and fill all of it with dirt to plant in? Or if you live in an area that's rather windy, and you need to be able to bring in your plants during poor weather?  In that case, you might consider planters with hooks on them. If you hang them on the bars of your theoretical wall, then you'll have a lovely plant wall that you can even rearrange! 

 Hanging Fabric with Pockets

This was one that surprised us, but really shouldn't have. There are so many different inventive ways of setting up a planter wall, that someone decided "instead of heavy planters, I'll use fabric." Yup, imagine a roll of dense gardening fabric draped over a wall or section of wall of your choosing, and then sew row after row of pockets onto it. You can do this one indoors or outdoors, and we've seen some that are only 5 or 6 pockets wide, and we've seen some that are 20 wide. This one is versatile for sure, but we have to question how long it will last with the weight of both dirt and plants, and then any flowers or fruit that those plants might bear. 

PVC Pipe Living Wall

Our final version is for when none of these have been quite right. You want something a little more industrial, a little more colorful maybe. In that case a set of PVC pipes might be up your alley. What you'll want for just one unit is a length of PVC pipe, and two caps. Taking just the PVC pipe, cut out a strip, roughly half an inch wide, running the entire length of the pipe. Now attach the bottom cap, probably using glue or plumber's cement to ensure it can't come off. Fill your pipe with dirt up to the point where you want your first plant, and then carefully place the roots inside the pipe, with the 'plant' portion on the outside and slide it down until you hit your first layer of dirt. Repeat this process all the way to the top, and then apply the top cap. To this one, we do not advise using a sealant, just incase you need to be able to move things around. For that same reason, we don't suggest permanently affixing this to the wall, and instead using a different system of your choosing to fix it to the wall. We like the idea of screws similar to what you would find on  a picture frame, but larger. The best thing about this sytem is that you can paint the PVC any color or design you want. Want zebra stripes? Go for it. Aged copper? You've got it! Making it look like something you scavenged out of a long-lost ruin of a bygone scientific age? The sky is the limit. 

What is your favorite out of these options? Do you have one you want to use in your home or are you still thinking about it? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

If you're tired of talking plants, though, and just want something that works, we can still help. If you've got an oven that won't hold heat or a washer that leaks, we can help. Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or visit our contact page to set up an appointment. We'll work with you to diagnose and fix the problem so that your home can start running smoothly again.  We serve everywhere between Dallas and McKinney, from Coppel to Garland, and we're here to help you.

Make Your Garden Thrive Even In a Drought

Dry Plants That Fit in Texas 

Table of Contents: 

Gravel- Uses, and benefits 

Design Tips

Examples of Plants 

Let's face it, gardening in Texas can be.. complicated. You have to deal with unpredictable weather, heat that goes all over the place, and never knowing if you're going to have a tornado drop on your head. It's great! If you are brave enough to work with the elements, though, you can find that it's possible to grow plants that not only are beautiful but can survive even in drought years in Texas. 

We'll start off by saying that we aren't professionals at this. What we are are people like you that live in Texas and have had many plants die under our care, despite our best attempts. To that end, we're looking at how to transform your garden into a beautiful, functional space with plants that will grow back year after year.  

It sounds weird to say, "ok, the first thing your garden is going to need is gravel," but, well, it's true? When you're dealing with a garden that you want coming back year after year, you need to limit water consumption. The biggest abuser you have? Your grass. Grass is an extremely thirsty plant, not to mention finicky! Imagine if you didn't have to fight with that any longer? No more mowing, no more watering and weeding, and hoping temperatures don't reach up so high the roots burn or so low they freeze.  Oh, and did we mention that the water you are saving can be put to plants you love?  Are you sold? Great! 

So now that you're looking at different types of gravel, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

- There are a TON of color options. It's fantastic. Whether you're going for a light and airy feeling or something a bit more earthy, there's guaranteed to be gravel for you. 

-Since you don't have to stick to specific planters or worry about grass roots, you can put your plants anywhere! And just use the gravel as filler in-between. 

- Make sure to add raking and replenishing to your calendar. You should only half to do it twice a year, though, instead of standing out there for hours every weekend. 

Design Tips for a Dry Garden 

Now that we've got you sold on the benefits of gravel, let's consider how to design your dream garden.  Start by grabbing a layout of your property. Whether you're working in just one section of your home (ie just your front yard or just your backyard) or you want to blend the areas together, you need an idea of how your property looks so that you can plan things.  Once you've got that, add in any permanent features you've got on your property. Do you have a deck that you're putting in? What about trees around the property that you want to take advantage of? (Hint, you definitely should take advantage of the trees you have, as they provide shade for your other plants.)  Basically, you'll want to sketch out anything that is definitely staying on the property or any major changes that you know you're making.  From there, consider a few things. 

- Repeating plants in random areas gives a cohesive and pleasing look, without being too manicured. (Unless that's the look you're going for.) It also guides the eye throughout the garden, creating a flow that is pleasing whether you're walking or just looking around. 

- Use light and airy plants like pampas, fountain grass, and kangaroo paw. These not only add color to the landscape, but their beautiful foliage adds texture and movement all year long. 

- Use pavers across the entrances to areas to keep gravel contained. This way, you're doing less in the way of sweeping/raking/corralling. And it means that any plant material from 'outside' your garden can easily be scraped off. 

-For stepping stones, borders, or other breaks in the gravel, you can get really creative. You can use everything from large stones to slices of wood, reclaimed wood, or timbers. 

Choosing Plants 

Honestly, this step is simultaneously really easy while also being really difficult. We know, we've been full of conundrums this week. We're sorry. So let's look at the hard part and get that out of the way. What you want to do is compile a list of drought-resistant plants. While we do have a few examples for you to consider, we're not going to say that this is all of them.  The easy part is going through and choosing which of those plants are most appealing to you. Do you like to focus on light and airy plants? Do you want to focus on color throughout the year? What about a focus on plants that are useful in medicine or around the home? Your answer is going to change which of the plants you choose and how your garden is going to end up looking. One thing we do want to say, though, is that just because these are water-wise plants doesn't make them all bland and boring. 

You can have many beautiful flowering plants in your garden like the Kangaroo Paw, Disoma,  California Poppies, or Mediterranean Lavender. Adding in "Blue Cloud" salvia will give you a beautiful shrub all summer, while the "Teddy Bear" magnolia offers up a beautiful bronze on the underside of its leaves all year long. 

If you enjoy cacti and succulents, those can be an option to mix throughout your yard, and still create a beautiful array of flowers for you to enjoy. Check out barrel cacti for some examples.  

If you want something that's hardy but would do well in the shade of a tree, check out the cordylines. They do best in shaded areas, add texture to your yard, and are a stunning red or pink. You might consider mixing in coastal rosemary around the edges of those areas, as they love the shade, but they also enjoy well-drained areas. 

Whichever plants you choose, make sure to talk to experienced gardeners so that you can get the best tips for caring for your yard, whatever the weather brings. We hope that you'll consider showing us what you plant in your yard, whether it's great big cacti, beautiful flowers or an herb garden. Let us know over on Facebook what you get up to. 

If that's not what brought you to our humble corner of the internet, it might be that you're in need of appliance repair. And yep, you're still in the right place. If your dishwasher is broken or your dryer is busted, we can help. You can reach out to us by phone at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading over to our contact page. We'll work with you to set up an appointment that works with your schedule to get your home running again.