We’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends on what everything is in the backyard. I’ve finally made a list and compiled some links so you can check everything out. Everything here is either native or naturalized. This means that they all tolerate sun, heat, and drought very well.
I would have linked to Nancy and Jack’s nursery (Texas Heritage Nursery in Bandera), but they don’t have a site. They really got us some high-quality plants!
Bushes
- Lantana – Dallas Red
- VERY vigorous grower! I don’t know if it’s just all the rain we had this year or what, but we planted the second or third week of June and I had to cut them back yesterday.
- These have beautiful red and orange flowers and have pretty much bloomed since the day they were put in the ground.
- Lantana – Purple Trailing
- See the comments on the Dallas Red Lantana.
- As the name would suggest, the flowers are purple but the same size/shape as the Dallas Red.
- This grows more like ground cover than a big bush which works really well for us.
- Daylily – Happy Returns
- Bright yellow flowers
- Shasta Daisy – Becky
- Picture a daisy in your head – Yep, that’s what this looks like.
- Mexican Feather Grass
- This is a small (2ft tall x 2 ft wide), very wispy grass. We like this because it adds movement to the flower beds when there’s even the smallest breeze.
- This is *not* that huge pampas grass stuff you see everywhere.
- Plumbago – Leadwort
- Purple to blue ground cover.
- These have been having trouble since they were overtaken by the Lantana. They’ll do better now that they’ll be getting more sun.
- Buddleia – Black Knight
- This gets flower clusters in the deepest color purple I’ve ever seen.
- Another name for this one is “Butterfly Bush” which is a very appropriate as it attracts lots of butterflies.
- Iris – Bi-Color
- These are taller grass-like plants with wider leaves than the Mexican Feather Grass.
- Ours didn’t bloom this year, but will look great next spring and early summer
- Agapanthus – Elaine
- Definitely the most showy of our beds.
- The globe of purple flowers on a 4-foot stalk really stand out!
Trees
- Red Bud – Texas
- Got it in a good spot, just waiting for it to establish.
- It should have bright-pink flowers in the spring if all goes well.
- Crape Myrtle – Zuni
- Yeah, yeah – calling this a tree is debatable, but that’s what we’re using them as.
- This is another one that has bloomed since we put them in the ground.
- Japanese Blueberry Tree – Elaeocarpus decipiens
- This is a great looking ornamental, evergreen tree.
Well, there you have it. If you’ve got any questions, just give us a call or drop us an e-mail.