Tag: native-plants

gardening

The rain had kissed each flower lovingly

suzielinn

“When at morn I saw the world in a dewdrop dress,
I knew what had happened.
The rain had kissed each flower lovingly.
So sweet and so loving was the kiss
That it shone like silver
And the air was filled with fragrance.”
~Julia Cooley Altrocchi

I woke up bright and early this morning to discover that the rain had once again kissed each flower in my garden ever so lovingly. Nearly an inch of rain in the rain gauge – what a glorious sight! The delicate pink rain lilies that freely reseed about my garden were all abloom – another glorious sight!

Zephyranthes – aka rain lily – is a member of the Amaryllis family, with strappy grass like leaves. It flowers off and on throughout the growing season, triggered by rain or supplemental watering.

The rain lilies that dot my garden were originally planted over 25 years ago and I have long ago forgotten the exact variety or name.

My original gardens, started 30 years ago, were – in the words of Shelby’s mom in Steel Magnolias – pink and pink. Blush and Bashful – two shades of pink, one much deeper than the other, to paraphrase the scene from Truvy’s hair salon.

Yes, I loved pink. Pink roses. Pink daylilies. Pink irises. Pink rain lilies. But time marches on and tastes change. My gardens today feature bright and bold colors. Red. Orange. Yellow. But the pink rain lilies will remain. A nod to the former gardens. Of course it helps that the pink rain lily is the perfect compliment to a bright orange daylily.

I also doubt I could dig up all of the tiny rain lily bulbs now if I wanted to!

Did I mention they have even migrated out to our only small patch of lawn? I imagine someday – hopefully years down the road – I will be gone from this space yet the rain lilies will bloom on and on, for future inhabitants of this place to enjoy. Or curse – though I can’t imagine anyone hating such a lovely bloom.

Other soft pink flowers that will always be a part of my garden are the native coneflower (Echinacea) and rock rose (Pavonia). Both reliably draw in pollinators and freely self-sow about the gardens.

(Coneflower, shown above. Rock rose, shown below.)

It almost goes without saying, but hot pink is always allowed in my garden because it so nicely fits under the bright and bold category. Pink zinnias are currently blooming in what was meant to be my flower-free, dedicated vegetable growing polytunnel space. The polytunnel will, hopefully, allow me to extend the vegetable growing seasons a bit on each end. A winter cover will give a few tomatoes and peppers some protection against freezing weather, while also allowing me to start peas much earlier in the year. A shade covering in the heat of summer will, if all goes as planned, protect sensitive plants from our brutal August sun. Neither have yet to be tested, but they sound good in theory.

This spring has been filled with rainy days and cool, but terribly humid, overcast days. Alas. Due to our extremely dry winter, North Texas is still almost three inches behind on our average rain amounts. Longtime Texas gardeners know to appreciate this weather while we can because we never know when the faucet might turn off and the heat crank up.

My food forest garden – except for the zucchini – has been slowly turning out vegetables. Nearly every day, I have something to harvest and use as a base for a meal. The zucchini has been – well, it is zucchini, amiright? I froze two zucchini today, after freezing four zucchini and dehydrating three zucchini over the past weekend. We have eaten fried zucchini. We have eaten zucchini fritters. We have eaten black bean zucchini tamale pie, wherein I used two zucchini instead of the one the recipe called for. I have gone to bed confident that I have only two zucchini in the fridge to eat or preserve the following day, only to wake up and discover four zucchini await. It is a great problem to have, though, as I know I will make good use of the excess.

This has been the first year for the blueberries to produce. I am still a long way from having enough to make a pie, but there have been a few days I could possibly have a decent amount for a solo pancake, if they ever made it inside the house. It has been such a pleasure to pick and eat the blueberries immediately while still in the garden.

Keep calm and garden on. When life gives you zucchini, make fritters.

Southern Bulb Company is a fabulous mail order source for rain lilies (and various other bulbs.)

The rock rose photograph was taken earlier this month in my zone 8b North Texas garden. All other photographs were taken today, May 27th.

gardening, nature

Happy World Bee Day!

suzielinn

Today is World Bee Day, a chance to celebrate the humble bee. I don’t know about y’all, but I will likely celebrate with a little trip to a garden center to purchase a bee friendly plant or two. My gift to the bees. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20th, in honor of the pioneer of beekeeping, Anton Janša, who was baptized on this date in 1734.

“Among all God’s beings there are none so hard working and useful to man with so little attention needed for its keep as the bee,” Anton wrote in his 1775 book A Full Guide To Beekeeping. While 250 years have past since Anton penned his praise of bees, the idea of a world holiday in honor of the bee has actually only been around since 2018. This day may have its roots in beekeeping, but it is a way to bring awareness to all pollinators and their relationships with humans and healthy, thriving ecosystems.

We have all seen the headlines. Pollinators are in trouble. Insect populations are in decline. But many people don’t realize that they have the ability and the power to help. We tend to look at the larger, global issues and feel overwhelmed, but we can dial it down to a local level and have a real impact on our own native pollinator populations.

Bees are the most important group of pollinators for our food supply but many other insects, such as beetles, butterflies, moths, flies and wasps, also play a vital role in pollinating. On a global level, there are somewhere between 200,000 and 350,000 species of pollinators, with an estimated 20,000 species of bees. On a local level, Texas is home to around 1,100 to 1,500 native bees. Many of the actions we can take to support our local bees also support other pollinators. Knowing and understanding why pollinators are in danger is to know and understand what we can all do to help.

Challenge: Native habitats that pollinators depend on for survival are dwindling as construction and development worldwide take over much of our land space. Many new housing developments are ecological dead zones, perfectly manicured suburban lawns that are void of diversity and wildlife. Shopping centers and their parking lots sustain little more than grackles, while streets and highways connect us from sea to shining sea. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot” is sadly just as true in 2026 as it was in 1970 when Joni Mitchell first sang those lyrics.

Solutions: Reimagine the traditional foundation planting or typical landscape design and embrace pollinator friendly plants. When selecting pollinator friendly plants, it is always best to buy native, non-hybridized varieties whenever possible. In Texas, we are so blessed to have the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, which promotes our state’s diverse array of native plants. They are an incredible resource for plant information; I don’t consider any plant buying expedition a true adventure until I have at least one tab open on my phone to their database of native plants. My Mother’s Day trip to Redenta’s Garden in Dallas found me looking up a new-to-me plant: Texas craglily, Echeandia texensis. Yes, my own garden is a long way from its native habitat in the Rio Grande Valley, but I have just the rocky spot to give it a try. Native plants can be utilized in any landscape style, from courtyard formal to cottage abundance. Adding non-native, non-invasive annuals, such as zinnias and cosmos, is perfectly acceptable to bridge gaps in the landscape while waiting on native perennial plants to fill out in size.

Be sure to include native trees, shrubs and vines in the landscape as those are important parts of a thriving ecosystem and many of them are the larval hosts for pollinators, such as butterflies and moths. Avoid monocultures, such as the typical turf grass lawn with a hedge of non-native shrubs along the sidewalk. Plant for diversity. It is also important to have successions of blooms so your garden – however small or large – has something in bloom throughout the seasons. Even a few containers of nectar rich flowers on a balcony or patio can provide important food for pollinators.

Challenge: Extensive pesticide use, both on a home scale and on a commercial scale, which doesn’t take in to account that 90-95% of insects are actually beneficial or indifferent (neither good nor bad bugs.)

Solutions: Eliminate unnecessary use of pesticides. Only about 5% of all insects are actually harmful, yet pesticides are indiscriminate and kill across the spectrum. A chemical that kills a tomato hornworm will also kill a monarch butterfly caterpillar. There are numerous resources available for organic (non-pesticide) gardening, though I have found that a well balanced garden is the best approach to keeping unwanted insects at bay. Kim Eierman, author of The Pollinator Victory Garden, said it so well: Nature is on our side if we support it. It is also important to support organic farmers and growers whenever possible. Ask for organic larval host plants at your garden center. Even though the garden center may not currently carry them, it shows them that customers are interested.

Challenge: But what will the neighbors think?!

Solution: Oh, honey. I gave caring what the neighbors think many plants ago! When my husband and I were house garden hunting 30 years ago, I already had a mental image of what my eventual garden would look like. It took us quite a while to find the property – with a house – that I fell in love with. That extra time and energy was worth it because 30 years later, I still love where we landed. I knew I didn’t want in a neighborhood with an HOA. I knew I didn’t want a typical square backyard where you entered a gate and saw the entire back garden at once. I also knew I didn’t want to be that house on the corner lot that stood out as vastly different from every other house on the block. I do love gardens like that, but – 30 years ago – I wanted tucked away, free to play with my garden without watchful eyes.

Today, I realize that most neighbors quite love my garden. In the 30 years that we have lived here, I have only gotten one negative comment from one neighbor. I have gotten hundreds of positive comments. Last year, I came across The Big Orange Splot, a children’s picture book which seemed very appropriate for me and my garden.

To paraphrase Mr. Plumbeam, My garden is me and I am it. My garden is where I like to be and it looks like all my dreams.

A few years ago, I did add pollinator signs in my front garden beds, as I believe the signs raise awareness and maybe make people curious about what a pollinator friendly garden is. Perhaps they will now associate certain plants as beneficial to pollinators. The signs also show the neighbors that the garden is intentional. It isn’t a weed patch. These are pollinator friendly plants that I selected for that very purpose.

Happy World Bee Day.

Keep calm. Garden on. And get involved.

Kim Eierman is the author of The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the war on pollinator decline with ecological gardening. She spoke at Texas Woman’s University in April.

The first two photographs were taken at Texas Woman’s University in April of this year. The remaining photographs were taken in my Southern Denton County, Texas, garden in 2025.

gardening

Arbor Day 2026

suzielinn

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.

This past Friday, April 24th, was Arbor Day. The best time to write about Arbor Day would have been on Arbor Day. The second best time is now. Thankfully, Texas actually celebrates Arbor Day in November so I am technically really early to write about the tree loving and tree planting day instead of a few days late. But I do have a great excuse to be late to the April Arbor Day party. I was busy celebrating Texas Wildflower Day. (More on that another day!) I do still want to discuss Arbor Day – why we should love and (possibly) plant them any day of the year instead of waiting for an Arbor Day – April or November – to plant a tree. There is no denying that our planet is getting warmer. If you are a gardener, you feel it. The science continues to show it. Planting a few tress may seem a bit like putting your finger in a dike to hold back water. Such a small act, would it even help? Yet it is a tangible thing that all of us can do. And a lot of smaller actions, taken together, can have larger impacts.

I would first like to circle back around to Texas and why we celebrate Arbor Day on the first Friday in November instead of the last Friday of April like the rest of the country. In Texas, we are fortunate to be able to plant year round. Now “can” and “should” aren’t always one and the same. Our ground never freezes as it does in colder regions, meaning you can go outside and dig a hole in the ground 365 days of the year in this region. Planting in the fall and early winter takes advantage of cooler temperatures and more abundant rainfall, both of which help new plantings get established before the heat of the summer kicks in the following year. Now about that “can” and “should”… You can plant trees in April. You can also plant trees in August. (And I have done that before.) Just know that they will need monitoring and hand watering. You can’t plant a tree in the summer, then go on an extended vacation and expect your sprinkler system to provide adequate watering because it just won’t. Newly planted trees need supplemental watering to get established. Depending on your exact region and soil type, a deep watering twice a week with a garden hose may be needed.

And circling back around the Texas Wildflower Day. As much as I am on team Plant More Trees, I am also on team Restore The Prairie. I acknowledge that the two may not always seem compatible. My property, though, is situated in the Cross Timbers ecoregion, which originally would have been a mixture of prairies, savannas and woodlands. My own personal belief is that planting trees and restoring native prairie plants are equally important to the overall ecological goals of lessoning our impact on the planet, creating valuable habitats for wildlife, conserving water and bringing our own bit of property back to a balanced ecosystem. This was my second year attending Texas Wildflower Day at Texas Woman’s University and it will (hopefully) get its own blog post (or two) in the upcoming days.

It can be overwhelming to visit a garden center and select a tree, but doing a bit of research and reflection beforehand pays off. Do you want a tree that produces an edible harvest, a flowering ornamental tree or a tree that will one day shade your home? What mature size can your space handle? These are all questions one should consider before stepping foot in a garden center. Go in with a plan.

I have planted a number of trees on our property over the 30 years I have gardened this piece of Earth, but my favorite tree would be the chinkapin oak we planted in honor of our son’s birth 24 years ago. I won’t post a picture of my son today with “his” tree, but suffice to say that both my son and the oak now tower over me.

If one wants a tree that produces an edible harvest, a fig tree is one of the easiest pest-free trees available. Sizes vary widely depending on variety. Be sure to check out both of my earlier posts on fig trees. Persimmon is another fruit tree that does well in North Texas.

The pecan is our state tree, but one would do best planting this if they have an acreage and a strong back. My experience with the pecan is limited to dealing with our neighbor’s pecan for the past 30 years. It is a large messy tree, dropping branches whenever the wind flutters. It should not be planted anywhere near a house, let alone sandwiched between two homes in a suburban situation, as our neighbor’s tree is. It needs plenty of space. Now about that strong back… One will need a strong back to pick up the thousands of pecans that fall every autumn. Our neighbor’s tree has never produced anything near edible or desirable to humans. I have been told this is because it is our native pecan tree and not one that has been hybridized for larger, meatier pecans. Our neighbor’s pecans, however, are very desirable to every rodent (ie: rat, squirrel…) in the entire county and we fight endlessly to keep the rodents from bringing pecans in to our attic and garage. In the nursery trade, one can spot a pecan tree from across the grounds because of their distinct nursery pot. Pecans have an incredibly long taproot, requiring them to be grown for the horticulture trade in incredibly deep nursery pots. Squirrels bury what seems like an endless sea of pecans and one will also need that strong back again for dealing with the junk pecan trees that sprout up everywhere. Those long taproots take a sharpshooter shovel and a hearty heave-ho to dislodge the unwanted pecan sapling’s long taproot. This is where an acreage comes in handy. One could leave them be and have their own pecan forest within a few years or possibly mow right over them. But digging out several hundred unwanted pecan trees from a flower bed is exhausting work, necessitating a very strong back.

Above photograph: Our neighbor’s pecan tree

Midsize native trees that I grow and love include redbud, rough leaf dogwood, buttonbush, Mexican plum, cherry laurel and yaupon holly. We also have two bur oak trees on our property, which I have a solid love/hate relationship with. Love the shade…

Hate picking up thousands of large acorns each fall… One also needs a strong back when dealing with acorns!

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.

Keep calm and garden on – and please considering planting a tree or two.

All photographs taken in my zone 8b southern Denton County, Texas, garden.

gardening, nature

Happy Native Plant Week

suzielinn

I don’t know about you, but I never miss a chance to celebrate, especially when celebrating means buying a new plant. Or two. Or ten. Of course, celebrating Texas Native Plant Week requires gardeners (for me, at least) to visit a garden center. Or at the very least, it allows us to promote the many benefits of our wide variety of plants native to this state.

Rick Perry, our former governor, designated the third week of October as Texas Native Plant Week in 2009. Our state’s Arbor Day is also in the fall – the first Friday in November. Now many people may wonder why we celebrate plants in the fall in Texas when many states are already experiencing their first freezes of the season or will soon be buried under a blanket of snow. Fall is actually the best time to plant hardy perennials, trees and shrubs in southern climates, as our temperatures are cooler and rainfall more plentiful. Fall planting gives plants additional time to adjust before our hot and dry summers hit.

Adding native plants – ones that are better adapted to growing in our soils and climate – preserve our water resources, as they require less water once established. As our state’s population continues to grow, our manmade lakes will feel the strain that traditional landscapes require. Water restrictions will to be the norm for most of the state going forward. Native plants also don’t need special treatment to thrive, no fertilizers or special soil mixes. They also provide much needed native habitat and food for our wildlife and help conserve our wildlife populations.

So here we are – Happy Texas Native Plant Week! Have a slice of cake and plant a few natives in your landscape. Here are some of my favorite native plants, in no particular order.

Echinacea, commonly known as coneflower: A wonderful reseeding perennial. A wide variety of insects will nectar on its blooms and songbirds will feast on the dried seeds through the winter. What seeds remain in late winter, I will cut back and scatter throughout the garden. (Coneflower is shown in photograph above.)

Callirhoe involucrata, commonly known as winecups: A rosette of greenery will emerge from its tuberous root in late winter and will scamper up and over and about the garden. It will start blooming in late spring in to early summer. It is dormant in the heat of summer and fall. (Winecup is shown in photograph above.)

Cephalanthus occidentalis, commonly known as buttonbush: I would have a hard time selecting a favorite native plant, but buttonbush would likely be it. I love standing under the small tree when it is in bloom and watching just an outstanding variety of insects nectaring on the orb shaped flowers. Where else can you get a Dr. Seuss style bloom that is so well loved by the insect world? (Buttonbush is shown above.)

Cornus drummondii, commonly known as rough-leaf dogwood: For years – okay, two decades?! – I tried to eliminate this shrubby tree from my garden, as it wants to spread and take over. Alas. I have given in to its lovely blossoms and its willingness to thrive on neglect. Added bonuses: Insects love the blooms and songbirds love the berries. (Rough-leaf dogwood shown above.)

Twenty five years and another lifetime ago, I worked at a small organic garden center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We received a much-awaited shipment of native plants. Alas. As the driver opened the back of the box truck, with a cluster of garden center employees standing ready to Ooh and Aw over the plants, horror awaited. The heavy wooden shelf system had collapsed during transit and crushed everything underneath, including a dozen or so rough-leaf dogwood trees. Nearly everything in the truck lay broken and bruised and little was salvageable. That night after work, I took home a tiny broken twig of rough-leaf dogwood. Within two years, I was trying to eliminate it from my garden because it was like the Little Engine That Could. It thought it could grow. It thought it could grow. And grow it did! Now I absolutely love it and am glad I made peace with its determined growing habits.

Callicarpa americana, commonly known as beautyberry: A shrub with clusters of flowers in the spring, followed by brilliant purple berries in the summer and fall. (Beautyberry shown in photographs above and below.)

Calyptocarpus vialis, commonly known as horseherb: There is a native plant for every growing situation and need. This is a fabulous lowgrowing ground cover for shady areas. (Horseherb shown below.)

Monarda fistulosa, commonly known as beebalm: There are many beebalms on the market, but the majority of them are hybridized, non-native varieties. Those tend to succumb to powdery mildew in this area and their flowers lack the nectar of the native variety. Fistulosa is the native one; many garden centers offer it in their herb section. This beebalm is especially loved by butterflies as the nectar is deep within the flower. (Swallowtail butterfly shown on monarda fistulosa in photograph below.)

Penstemon tenuis: A lovely reseeding perennial. This penstemon blooms very early in the spring, at a critical time for insects. The plants are light and airy, with blooms held above the foliage. (Penstemon tenuis shown in bottom two photographs.)

There you have it – some of my favorite Texas native plants. No matter how you celebrate Texas Native Plant Week, I hope you get to enjoy some cake and visit one of the many wonderful garden centers we have throughout our state. We are so fortunate to have a number of locally owned garden centers that were early on the native plant bandwagon and really fought to bring native plants to the mainstream. Please seek them out and support them whenever possible!

All photographs taken in my own garden – zone 8b, southern Denton County, Texas.

gardening, nature

The monarchs are here!

suzielinn

I felt a bit like a mashup of Paul Revere and the poet Richard Le Gallienne today, though instead shouting that the redcoats were coming nor penning about a poem about a brown bird singing in the apple tree and pulling me out to the garden, I was all abuzz that the monarch are here! In my garden! Not one. Plural. Monarchs. The monarchs are here!

My garden happens to sit perfectly along their migration path. Each spring, the monarchs emerge from their winter habitat in Mexico and travel north for the summer. Along the way, they search for milkweed – the monarch’s host plant – to lay their eggs on. But now it is autumn and they are migrating south for the winter and they are in search of fuel – in the form of nectar – for the long journey that still lies ahead of them. Fall blooming flowers are critical for their survival.

Insects may be our canary in the coalmine – the warning sign of environmental troubles ahead. They are the most vulnerable to shifts in climate and weather extremes. As more and more wild lands are destroyed and either conventionally farmed (ie: with chemicals) or paved over for subdivisions and highways, insects – including the beloved monarch butterflies – find less and less food in the wild. Restoring native habitat is critically important. But it doesn’t take an acre to help. Anyone with a bit of space, even those with balconies or a small patio can grow a container of fall blooming flowers for the monarchs to feed on as they are passing through.

My own garden right now looks a bit worse for the wear, as I have been out of commission for the past two months. Thankfully, I do favor plants that not only grew in my absence, some seemed to thrive on my neglect! As I was getting around to leave for physical therapy earlier today, I happened to notice one, two, four, six and more monarchs fluttering about my garden. I quickly grabbed my camera and out to the garden I went. I did manage to make it to therapy on time, though I was still picking dried leaves and seeds off my clothes and shaking them out of my hair as I walked in to my session. As soon as I was finished, it was back out to the garden, which is where The Husband found me some time later, still laughing and flitting about my garden, as I snapped dozens and dozens of photographs of the monarchs.

Following are a few easy steps we all can take to help the monarchs.

1.) No pesticides or insecticides. Even organic ones can and do kill beneficial insects. The majority of insects in the world are harmless. Plants that are grown specifically for butterflies, from their host plants to flowering nectar plants, must be organic.

2.) Water is crucial for butterflies. Provide a shallow basin with pebbles or shells for them to land on.

3.) Trees provide much needed nighttime roosting spots for butterflies, as well as shelter from stormy weather.

4.) Plant natives whenever possible! Many of the hybridized plants on the market have been bred for larger flowers, but they often lack the rich nectar that the native variety have. When shopping for plants, avoid ones that have a specific name in quotation marks or have a trademark emblem next to the name. Those are easily identified as hybridized varieties.

5.) Plant well adapted fall blooming plants that will survive our summer heat and drought. Some examples of plants that will bloom in North Texas during the fall monarch migration include: zinnias, cosmos, tithonia (Mexican sunflower), Mexican mint marigold and pentas. The two flowers the monarchs were nectaring on in my garden were cosmos and zinnia, both well adapted annuals.

6.) Plant a wide variety of plants so you always have something in bloom. A variety of flower colors and flower shapes will also attract a wider variety of butterflies, not just monarchs.

7.) Plant in groupings of three or more as a larger expanse of blooms will be more visible to butterflies flying overhead. This also allows butterflies to nectar from multiple plants without needing to fly off so soon in search of additional food.

Some fall blooming Texas natives include: Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Frostweed (Verbesina virginica), Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata), Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii), Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii), White boneset (Eupatorium serotinum), Zexmenia, Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii), Prairie verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida), Gray vervain (Verbena canescens), Aromatic (Fall) aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) and Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).

Varieties of Rudbeckia/Black-eyed Susan: Rudbeckia hirta, Rudbeckia fulgida, Rudbeckia laciniata, Rudbeckia maxima, Rudbeckia texana, Rudbeckia triloba.

Varieties of Liatris/Gayfeather: Liatris acidota, Liatris aestivalis, Liatris aspera, Liatris elegans, Liatris lancifolia, Liatris punctata, Liatris tenuis.

Lantana urticoides is native to this area. There are numerous other lantana varieties      available —   a few are perennial, but many on the market are annuals in our area. Special note: The berries on Lantana urticoides are poisonous.

Fall blooming salvia varieties include: Pitcher sage (Salvia azurea), Scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea), Mealy sage (Salvia farinacea), Autumn sage (Salvia greggii).

Keep calm and garden on and consider planting a butterfly garden.

All photographs were taken October 22nd, 2025, in my southern Denton County, Texas, garden. I have organically gardened this piece of earth – a large suburban lot – for 30 years.

I meant to do my work today by Richard Le Gallienne

 I meant to do my work today—
   But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
   And all the leaves were calling me. 

And the wind went sighing over the land,
   Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand—
   So what could I do but laugh and go?

gardening, nature

A (garden) revolution going on

suzielinn

What is more thrilling than spending five hours with like minded gardeners and naturalists on a cold January day? Seeing a room full of people that have embraced native Texas plants, feeling their enthusiasm about restoring our prairie ecosystem and knowing that so many have joined the revolution and are planting native plants.

“Just dig it: Practical ideas for adding native plants to your yard” was hosted by Friends of LLELA – Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area – earlier this month, and featured four wonderful speakers each discussing different aspects of gardening with native prairie plants.

Now before I go on, I simply must share a photograph of my son, taken during a nature class at LLELA, many moons ago. My son is now a college graduate and, thankfully, still loves the outdoors. I have faith that this generation of kids will take the baton and carry on protecting and restoring important ecosystems around the globe.

Before we bought our home nearly thirty years ago, I knew “how” I wanted to garden – passionately, organically, naturally. My garden has evolved a lot over the decades, but those three things have never changed. I have always loved our native plants and – once upon a time – worked at an organic garden center that was one of the few (at that time) in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex that offered native plants. Yes, I once had over 150 antique and heirloom roses. But I also incorporated a variety of native plants. Yes, my garden now grows fruits and vegetables. But I still love native plants and try to squeeze in as many as possible. I am not a purist. I don’t personally believe that the average home garden has to be 100 percent native plants to be beneficial. I believe that every bit of habitat we can provide for wildlife is important. I believe that one can have entirely native prairie plants or a mix of native and non-native plants. Every action to preserve or restore habitat is important, no matter how small.

My garden is located in Denton county, just north of Dallas and Fort Worth, in the Cross Timbers and Prairies Ecological Region. This area was originally a combination of prairie and woodland, both of which provided a lush habitat for a large number of mammals and birds. Alas. As the song goes, “They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.” They also paved paradise and put in a major north-south interstate, I-35. One can drive from the southern border of Texas, past my garden just north of Dallas-Fort Worth, and all the way north to Minnesota. This central section of America is a major flight path for many migratory birds, as well as the now threated monarch butterfly. A road trip game of I Spy will net you a lot of billboards, fast food restaurants and acres of cultivated farmland, but very little wildlife habitat, either preserved or restored. This midsection of America is crucial for the survival of many birds and butterflies, which is why it is so important to plant native plants whenever possible – whether it be in the home garden, school garden or local nature center.

What can the average suburban or urban landowner do to counter all of that pavement and help restore lost habitat? Quite a bit, actually, just by reducing our lawn size and putting in a few native plants that provides much needed food and shelter. Or go a step or two further and put in a pocket prairie, a native prairie garden on less than an acre. This can be a small residential front yard or an entire backyard, whatever fits your style. In the ever-expanding sea of concrete throughout the central portion of America, every bit is important.

Andy and Sally Wasowski’s books on native plants and naturalistic gardening (shown above) were some of the first books that I bought after we purchased our home. They have been my inspiration and guide, both are books I go back to time and again. Some of the beautiful flowers I first learned about from Native Texas Plants are shown and briefly described below.

Penstemon tenuis, aka Gulf coast penstemon, shown below, is a great example of how fluid and ever changing native garden are. I no longer know where this was originally planted in my garden as it has popped up randomly here and there for many, many years. It has never been an aggressive reseeder, though any unwanted plants can easily be dug up and shared with fellow gardeners. This penstemon is extremely easy to grow and the lovely soft lavender color goes with many color schemes, if that is something that interests you. It is always covered with pollinators. This penstemon blooms early in the spring.

Echinacea, shown below, is another plant that moves about my garden and is always covered in pollinators. I leave the old flowerheads on the stalks over winter as songbirds love to feast on the seeds. In late winter I scatter any seeds that remain wherever I would like more to pop up.

Sisyrinchium, aka blue-eyed grass, shown below, is perhaps one of my favorite native plants. I love how dainty and crystal blue the flowers are. This is another early spring bloomer.

Malvaviscus drummondii, aka turk’s cap, shown below, is a highly adaptable plant, growing well in sun or shade and in wet or dry conditions. This is a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. It blooms through the heat of summer and up to the first hard freeze.

Callirhoe involucrata, aka winecup, shown below, rambles and scrambles about the garden. It grows from a tuber to form a rosette that then extends every which way. It blooms very early in the spring in my garden. Every few years, I dig out the older overgrown tubers and toss them in the compost pile, allowing the smaller tubers to grow and carry on.

Monarda fistulosa (shown below) is the native, wild growing bee balm. It is harder to find (often sold alongside herbs) but much more hardy than the newer hybridized variations.

A few years ago, I had both the wild bee balm and a hybridized variety growing side by side. The wild bee balm was covered in pollinators while the hybridized one was void of any insects. This was a great chance to witness why the wild varieties are favored by wildlife, as many hybridized plants are bred for color or size and often lack the amount of pollen and nectar that wild plants contain.

I had to save the best for last. My very favorite native plant of all time – Cephalanthus occidentalis, aka buttonbush, shown below. Yes, it does grow naturally along creeks and rivers, but it will grow nicely in a residential yard. Buttonbush can be pruned up to form a small scale tree, much as the non-native crepe myrtle. Buttonbush, however, has amazing, out of this world, blooming orbs!

Buttonbush, shown above and below, is always covered in pollinators when in bloom.

All photographs were taken in my suburban North Texas garden.