I have been gardening organically for about 40 years, mainly common flowers and vegetables. Gardening with native plants and wildflowers since 1996 after reading an article in the newspaper about a lady in our town who had a Texas native plant habitat.
I went to visit her and fell in love with the idea of landscaping with native plants for the purpose of plant conservation and also to help wild life, such as birds, butterflies, reptiles and small mammals. We started with a few scattered wildflower seeds on the side yard slope. It measures 80 feet long and 10 feet wide and faces south. It was covered with Bermuda grass and it took about 5 years to make a solid cover of native plants. Sorry no before pictures for this area.
The slope in winter | Spring with Crossvine and me |
Fall with mixed Asters | Spring with Coneflowers |
I love Texas native plants, they are so beautiful, and it gives me great pleasure to see them flourish and to be able to talk to people in the neighborhood and discuss how we can do good for our local flora and help the environment. This is my passion and I have become an avid plant collector.
Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina enceliodes
We have rocks lining the edges of the beds and we mulch with our own leaves and shredded plant material as well as local tree mulch provided for us free by the local landscape companies. We like to keep the look as natural as possible.
Our gardens are registered with the Texas Parks and Wildlife as a habitat, and also with Monarch Watch as a monarch way station.
From upper left clockwise: Gulf Fritillary on Carolina Phlox, Buckeye on Frostweed, Monarch on Coneflower, and Black Swallowtail on Damianita daisy.
I have many favorites mainly because I love them all but my most favorite for its beauty and wonderful scent is Carolina Phlox, I love this plant because it has a long bloom period, usually from June to September although it is not as drought tolerant as some others.
For beauty and practicality I love Autumn Sage, Flame Acanthus, Texas Lantana, Zexmenia, Mealy Blue sage, Purple Fall Aster, Frostweed, Western Ironweed, Cowpen Daisy, Salvia coccinea, Wild Petunia, Turk’s Cap and many others, too many to mention.
My garden reflects my personal style, but I try to draw inspiration and information from many sources such as friends and books, but especially the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and many different websites.
Entrance to back yard and back patio with our cat, Angel
View of back yard and bed of Phlox carolina also in backyard.
Frostweed, Verbesina virginica and Western Ironweed, Vernonia balswinii
Zexmenia, Wedelia hispida
I love this style of gardening, this is the right thing for me, but some parts will change because a garden is a living thing and all living things change and because a garden is never finished.
Just recently we converted our front yard from grass to native plants in order to save water and have a very visible Texas native plant demonstration garden.
Entrance to front yard garden and close up of part of the border.
Front yard before and after conversion
Grouping of Purple Asters by the mailbox and my favorite place to sit with a cup of coffee.
The corner bed in spring with Blackeyed Susans and the oval bed by the front walk with Coneflowers and Columbine.
The back bed in spring with Prairie Phlox and Columbine; the edge bed with Brazos Penstemon and Primrose
The corner bed with Blackfoot Daisy and Angel
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Josephine, how beautiful it all is, including your adorable Angel. Your love of your native plants and wildlife shows in the beauty and care of your gardens. Thank you so much for sharing all of them with us. Best wishes to you, and a very Happy Birthday this week!
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We'd love for you to join us next week as we take you on another Garden Tour.
Garden Tours are the joint effort of Trish and Sharon.
Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
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landscaping with native plants by virginiarose | Mar 31, 2014 6:02 AM | 0 |
Enjoyed! by nbgard | Dec 13, 2011 4:31 PM | 1 |
Lovely front yard conversion by SongofJoy | Dec 11, 2011 7:13 PM | 33 |
Native experience by Sheila_FW | Dec 10, 2011 8:15 PM | 1 |