Texas Landscaping Plant Guide (ghostwritten for MI Homes blog)

Arrowhead Ranch Exterior

​As a new homeowner, you probably have all kinds of visions for your new home. Now that it’s sweet summertime, many of those projects probably have to do with your landscaping or yard.

​If you’re like our New Home Consultant Ursula Whitworth, you probably spend your evenings, weekends, or days off with your hands in the dirt or picking out a new addition for your home’s landscaping.

​Here in Texas we have a lot of direct sunlight and a lot of heat, but that doesn’t mean your lawn has to be dry and crunchy! Ursula is sharing her favorite plants for Texas weather so your yard can be lush and beautiful, too!

Full sun

Heat and drought resistant

Blooms in the spring right around Easter when you’re really ready for flowers

Smells AMAZING

Honeybees and butterflies love it

Full sun

Great starter plant

Long bloom life

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Crepe Myrtle is very easy and a great starter plant—once it is established it requires 0 maintenance! I love it because you can let it get big as pictured or keep it smaller. It usually blooms when everything else is too hot; mine blooms for over a month during June-July when all other plants want to curl up and die in the heat!

This rose can take full sun, but it also blooms in partial shade. Their easy maintenance makes them a perfect beginner rose for those who have don’t have a lot of gardening experience. While they do need very little maintenance, they will do best if you cut off the dead blooms and cut them back in the winter. Clip a few gorgeous blooms and bring them inside for a jaw-dropping centerpiece, too!

Drought resistant

Heat tolerant

Blooms off and on until the first freeze

Drought resistant

Full sun

Thrives in heat

Gorgeous purple blooms in the summer

Leave these alone and they will be one giant bush, or trim the bottom like the photo and they look like a small flowering tree.

Personal Recommendation: Plant roses under vitex because the branches are thin enough not to throw too much shade and the multi-level arrangement is stunning.

This one can grow in the sun, partial sun, or the shade!

Perfect ground cover for along boarders or those problem areas in your garden

Can grow aggressively if you ignore it but it is very easy to maintain and shape with normal edging

Want to grow more? Easy—just clip some of your existing Asiatic Jasmine and plant it wherever you want more in your yard!

Full sun

Loves the heat

Evergreen

Blooms when everything else is dying mid-summer

Thrives when you ignore it

No matter how grand your plans for your Texas yard, there are all kinds of Texas plant resources to help you map everything out, take proper care of your plants, and more.

Feeling inspired or have other great Texas plant recommendations that do well in your yard? We’d love to hear about what you’re planting this year!