Incorporating Native Texas Plants into Your Landscape

At Weston Dean Custom Homes, there’s nothing we value more than building eco-friendly, gorgeous homes throughout the entire Texas Hill Country region. While energy efficiency and forward-thinking practices are extremely important inside the home—it’s just as significant to practice environmentally-safe habits on the outside of the home as well. If you’re looking to make your home even more environmentally friendly and extra green, it’s time to make the decision to switch to native plants on your property. Landscaping your yard and garden with plants native to the state of Texas is not only a beautiful way to pay tribute to your land—but also an excellent way to improve the ecosystems and environment around you. 

You may not know all of the benefits and types of native Texas plants—which is why we’re here to tell you where to start and explain why native plants are the smartest decision you can make for your landscaping. 

Improving the environment

Landscaping choices have meaningful impacts on you, your future, the environment and the entire planet. It may not seem like a big deal to plant non-native plants around your home, but the potential harm it could cause is not worth the risk. While most non-native plants require tons of maintenance, including fertilizer, pesticides and water—native plants require very little to no work at all, which benefits you and your surroundings. With less fertilizer and pesticide chemicals, air quality and pollution can improve by vast amounts. Additionally, unlike non-native plants, the deep root systems of many Texas native plants increase the soil's capacity to store water—significantly reducing your use of water, as well as runoff and flooding. 

Native plants can also serve as a vital habitat for many species of wildlife. The nuts, seeds and fruits produced by these plants offer essential foods for all forms of wildlife—while also providing nectar for pollinators, from hummingbirds and native bees to butterflies and bats. Incorporating native Texas plants into your landscape will provide endless advantages to not only your property, but the entire environment around you—as well as promote biodiversity and pay tribute to the natural land heritage of the entire state. Adding native plants can also improve the quality of your grass, trees and any other plants around the area—not to mention the scenic value that they can bring to your landscape to take your Weston Dean home to the next level. 

There are quite a few options to choose from when it comes to incorporating native Texas plants into your landscape, and Weston Dean Custom Homes has a few favorites to provide you with—from native plants to place in the sun to pollinator plants and everything in between. 

Plants for the sun

If you’re looking for a native Texas plant to thrive in the sun, there are a few options for you—including Esperanza, which produces beautiful, bright-colored flowers and is very maintainable, as it is drought-tolerant once established and needs minimal water every 7 to 10 days. Plant Esperanza in a spot where there is full sun and place towards the back of your landscape for support, as they can grow up to 6 feet tall. Esperanza is a fantastic native Texas plant to add even more beauty and consciousness to your home. 

Cenizo, also known as Texas Sage, is another gorgeous sun-dependent native plant that makes for a great addition to your landscape. With gorgeous silvery green leaves and bright purple lavender flowers, Cenizo makes for a great show stopper in your yard and is extremely easy to plant and maintain, as it needs minimal water and can thrive in both hot or cold temperatures—as long as it has a good share of sun. Grow a line of Cenizo in front of your custom home for a beautiful, blooming hedge—or place it throughout your landscape for a great pop of color all around. 

Plants for the shade

To add some gorgeous native plants to the shaded areas of your Texas landscape, a great starting point is Turk’s Cap. This gorgeous shade plant is one of few plants that can produce beautiful blooms with tightly wrapped red flowers that are a favorite of hummingbirds. It grows very quickly, and it is a common native plant to find at most nurseries throughout San Antonio. Plant Turk’s Cap under a tree or in a shady corner near the fence, and little to no maintenance is required—as it thrives in dry to moist soil and grows in most conditions.

Another great addition to the shady parts of your landscape is American Beautyberry. This unique plant has pretty drooping branches with big green leaves—and the branches sport gorgeous, bright purple berries around the fall. The berries can add a bright pop of color to the shaded areas of your yard, and the birds absolutely love them. Plant American Beautyberry near a bird bath in the shade, or towards the back of your landscape as they can grow to be 6 feet in height and width. 

Pollinator plants

If you’re looking for beautiful birds and butterflies in your yard, native pollinator plants are right for you. Gregg’s Mistflower is a beautiful Texas native to add to your landscape and is full of gorgeous butterflies from summer to fall. Plant it in your garden or through your wildflower meadow to admire it’s soft purple flowers, and watch the Queen and Monarch butterflies enjoy it’s nectar. 

Mealy Blue Sage is a native Texas plant that the bees can’t get enough of, and it looks beautiful from spring to fall. It is constantly full of gorgeous purple blooms and makes for an amazing addition to the bed of flowers on your landscape, and the bees carry the nectar to the surrounding plants of your landscape—adding nothing but advantages and beauty to the environment and your yard. 

The Weston Dean way

Native plants have a value all their own that can’t be replicated by plants that aren’t from the Texas region, and the benefits they provide are nearly limitless. There are so many native Texas plants that benefit the ecosystems and entire environment throughout the area, and a great first step to take is by incorporating them into your Weston Dean landscape. At Weston Dean Custom Homes, we care about how our homes are constructed and the impact that they have on the environment. For more information or to start your eco-friendly home owning journey today, give us a call at (210) 408-9107, or contact us online any time.