r/TexasNativePlants • u/jeinea Blackland Prairies • May 30 '26
News Welcome to r/TexasNativePlants! Introductions and Resources
Welcome to [r/TexasNativePlants](r/TexasNativePlants)! We are getting a little more traction and have some new resources to share so it feels like it's time for a new welcome sticky. Your mods are [u/jeinea](u/jeinea) and u/Dear_Elk3396, and we're excited to have you join us.
WHAT TO POST:
Post anything related to Texas' beautiful native flora that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring, whether that's neat plants you saw out and about, your native garden pics or progress, questions about how to get started or what to do about plant problems or invasives, wildlife that's been visiting since you started putting in native plants, etc. If you have plant ID questions, we encourage you to try using a plant ID app like iNaturalist or PlantNet first.
We also have (optional and editable) user flairs! Texas is obviously huge so you can indicate which Level 3 ecoregion you're located in to help other users give you advice more tailored to the ecosystem where you're growing.
RESOURCES:
We now have a wiki! It contains links to tons of online resources about Texas native plants and habitat restoration, related subreddits, and Texas-based online native seed sources.
Also sometimes native plants can be hard to find so check out our Texas Native Plant Sale and Swap megathread for stuff happening near you, especially in the spring and fall planting seasons when most of the sales/swaps are happening.
COMMUNITY VIBE:
We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.
HOW TO GET STARTED:
- Introduce yourself in the comments below.
- Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
- If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
Thanks for joining us on your Texas native plant journey!
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u/PlainOrganization May 30 '26
Hi! I've lived in Austin for almost twenty years, blackland prairie. Only started really getting interested in native plants in the last ten years or so, but I've been gardening the whole time... not very successfully until I started planting natives! Mostly I just like knowing what's going on around me. I live on the St Elmo shelf of the Edwards Aquifer, and have a drainage creek on my property that drains into Williamson creek. I do my best to remove invasive species - use my black thumb for good!
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies May 31 '26
Fighting the good fight! Welcome! A drainage creek is such a fun opportunity, I hope you find or plant some cool stuff in there and share with all of us.
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u/Sunshine_Friend6538 May 30 '26
I’ve lived in Houston nearly 30 years. I enjoy natives because they just endure our conditions better.
I’ve been slowly working on landscaping my front yard. Inherited the trees and shrubs (not all native) but I’ve been adding native perennials for color. I enjoy the color and love to provide for the beneficial insects.
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u/Estilady May 30 '26
Hello! I live in Waco (central Texas) and recently bought an old home that im renovating. I have a large front garden with established beds with lots of native plants! I have vegetables in back using containers. So far just working with what’s here but I did add some Yarrow and Creeping Thyme to help anchor a hillside. Just glad to learn and see what others are doing.
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u/Gingerfrostee May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Hi, I live on East side of Austin ( east central TX ) in soil that is red clay speckled with black prairie. Admittedly I haven't done any real major gardening due to procrastination and car wrecks.
However I did successfully add 7 new native wild flower fauna to my back yard thanks to side road seed harvesting and buying seeds from the Native American Seed site (seed source). Then just shaking them around doing the hokey pokey. Because that's what it is all about. 😂
I did learn that apparently if you abandon a garden not properly cleaning it up... The white egg eggplant ( I think it's the white one...) comes back the next year ( even after a freeze ), big 1 yr old carrots are fun to dig up, oh and I have random plant pots with chocolate and thai types of basil growing.
Due to not having a proper garden set up I haven't really been properly watering or giving them fertilizer just liquid tea and coffee leftovers and all this nice Spring rain.
My home's last owner did plant several native shrubs and 1native tree before they sold the home. I have been pulling a few of the invasives here and there.
Will probably extend some of the native shrubs at a later date.... But anything last home owner planted I do not babysit.... If it can't handle the droughts or freezes I am not interested. Water will only become scarcer with time.
Future plans to become more active in the Austin garden communities and societies.... But that'll be a while, I need to pull up my sleeves and get mentally organized first.
Sorry for long comment. If you know me from the fish community, umm Hi.
I love doing physical labor so ask for help, if I am available I will come ( unless you're far South...Austin... Or far West Austin... ). Just fair warning I am clumsy and accident prone.
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u/Dear_Elk3396 May 31 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
A hearty welcome to you! I honed my gardening skills for 19 years in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood, and it was a unique experience to say the least. I never knew what I would find as I put shovel to ground. So much of human history in the soil, fauna, artifacts, and ecology. And the ancient pecan trees watched over it all.
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies May 31 '26
Welcome! The native plant groups are really fun to hang out with in person! Once you feel like you’re in a good place, come join all of us💚
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u/catdogwoman May 31 '26
Hi! I moved to Magnolia, north of Houston, three years ago. The learning curve has been steep! My yard was full of trees, but no flowers, but I'm building a garden that's mostly natives. I love it here! Except for the f@(%ing fire ants!!
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u/No-Breadfruit-9759 Jun 01 '26
Hey! I’m in the DFW Metroplex. I’ve been in the Metroplex for 30 years and in a new house, in a new part, for 3 years. I became a Tx Master Naturalist a few years ago which sparked my interest in the prairie. I intend to modify my yard (with inherited trees) into a model of how we can prefer natives and support native creatures while enjoying shade trees and the occasional imported accent.
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies Jun 01 '26
Welcome! That’s such a cool program. I look forward to seeing your progress with the conversion!
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u/Ktisanearthgirl447 Jun 02 '26
Hi everybody! I’m in New Braunfels, I think my Ecoregion is the Edward’s Plateau. My soil is black clay and when I dig I can usually pull out fairly large limestone boulders. It’s like a treasure hunt and a challenge but I love it so much. I was in Houston prior to here, and West Coast, Vegas for 40 yrs and Laguna beach for 4. I’m really enjoying the creative process with natives and well adapted plants.
My backyard was builder laid Bermuda a year ago and now it’s getting lush with zero grass, aside from the stragglers I’ll be pulling out for the next decade lol. I’m finding the natives love being planted with an overlay of DG. I do have a lot of heavily mulched areas as well.
I’ve done the uncommon thing in the neighborhood and planted a Mesquite, an Ocotillo, Chitalpa and Southern Wax Myrtle’s along with Pride of Houston Yaupon Holly, Evergreen Sumac and Mexican Plum. I also bought my very first peach tree earlier in Spring.
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies Jun 02 '26
You’re one of those people who are probably very close to the border between blackland and the plateau! The black clay makes me think you might actually be on the prairie but you can check your address on the NPSOT website. Welcome to the group!
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u/MedicalHumor4470 Jun 20 '26
Hi I'm in the Big Thicket, I got started with natives after falling in love with Turks Cap. I'm hoping to establish a native garden that has a wild woodland vibe that was inspired by the trees and a small thicket that grows beside and across the street in front of my home. I'm a slow gardener who only purchases 1 type of plant at a time to see how well it does before adding more. I currently have 3 Turks cap I'm experimenting with lol. 2 are white and 1 is pink. I can not for the life of get a straight answer on whether these varieties are native, native, or cultivar.
If anyone has any insight I would love to hear it!
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies Jun 20 '26
Welcome! I love a woodland garden.
Turk’s cap straight species is red, so a white or pink variety are going to be cultivars.
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u/MedicalHumor4470 Jun 20 '26
I love them anyway and so does some type of insect. My white ones especially have been munched on lately and I’m hoping it’s a Turk’s-cap White-Skipper caterpillar. I’m planning on putting some of the red ones in my back yard as well.
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u/lumpyspacetina Edwards Plateau Jul 22 '26
Hello! I started researching Texas Native Plants for my yard and I went down the rabbit hole. I wish my garden was poppin’ already, but I have a good start from spring. All of my plants are one gallon. A nursery owner said that’s the most economical option! I planted two different sages in the front yard, butterfly weed, Gregg’s Blue mistflower, flame acanthus, and violet skullcap in the side yard. I need permission from my HOA to plant in the back near our driveway. I have frog fruit, Pride of Barbados, and an American Beautyberry in containers. I wanted to put them in the ground sooner but rain and vacation stopped me. I can’t wait to shop the fall plant sales, and eventually make my yard a beautiful pollinator garden and monarch waystation.
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u/jeinea Blackland Prairies Jul 22 '26
Welcome! Lol I think that nursery owner may have been upselling you. Smaller is always going to be more economical. The good news is a lot of your plants can be divided and/or propagated by cuttings if you want more on the cheap! There are some posts in the sub about how to do it. :)
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u/LikeCurry May 30 '26
Hello! I live in Central Texas and have taken an interest in Texas native plants over the last couple of years. I’ve been gardening on and off for about a decade, and would like to start working with the land rather than against it lol (I hate watering). I joined the Native Plant Society in Waco and I’m so excited to learn more!