Five Favorite Low Maintenance Plants for Texas Gardens

May 15, 2019 | By webadmin

Plants that are easy to care for are at the top of nearly every gardener’s list. We compiled a list of a few of our favorite low-maintenance plants. Not only are they easy to grow, but they’ll also reward you with year-round interest!

Scabiosa

Scabiosa is also known as pincushion flower because that’s exactly what the flowers resemble. It’s a vigorous mounding perennial with grey-green leaves that thrives in full hot sun. Flowers are held above the foliage and reach 2-3’ in height. The plant will spread 1-3’ wide.

Scabiosa is quite drought tolerant once it’s established and blooms in a variety of colors. The most common & best varieties for Texas are ‘Butterfly Blue’, ‘Giant Blue’, and ‘Pink Mist’, although there are also cultivars that bloom maroon, white, and blue. Expect to have blooms on your scabiosa from early spring until the first frost.

Iris

Iris is a staple in southern perennial gardens because thrives in full sun, poor soils, and low water conditions. AND because it’s beautiful! The most popular species is Bearded Iris (Iris germanica), which has the widest range of colors, from cool blues & purples, to white, yellow, orange, rust, and pink. Siberian Iris is also widely planted & blooms earlier than its bearded counterpart.

The most important rule to follow when planting iris is to choose a well-draining spot where they have room to spread. And never plant the rhizomes deep (you should see their tops above the soil. Over time, iris will multiply to form large clumps.

Texas Mountain Laurel

Texas mountain laurel is a Texas native plant that is very drought-tolerant once established. Texas mountain laurel are best known for their deep purple flowers in spring that smell like grape kool-aid! If you wish you could grow lilacs in Texas, this is the plant for your. It prefers well-draining and somewhat rocky, limestone soil, but can be planted in clay if it has good drainage. Plant this evergreen shrub/small tree in sunny locations where it has room to reach 10-15’ tall and 10’ wide.

Keep in mind that the plant is slow growing & can take up to 10 years to bloom, therefore it’s best to plant a larger specimen to enjoy immediately.

Autumn Sage

The stalwart of a Texas garden is Autumn Sage, or Salvia greggii. They work great in low maintenance areas such as medians or easements, and should always be planted in full hot sun. The semi-evergreen perennial (dependent on our winter temperatures) is considered a small shrub that grows to 24” tall and wide. It blooms in late spring and sporadically through the fall. A heavier bloom can be influenced by pruning in late summer to enjoy a 2nd large flush to blooms that come in nearly all colors of the rainbow – white, yellow, pink, red, and purple.

Pollinators and hummingbirds love Autumn Sage!

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are beautiful large shrubs that don’t seem to get the attention they deserve in our climate. They are tough heat and drought tolerant sun-loving plants that do not discriminate on soil type.Since plants do sucker and spread easily, we suggest planting the dwarf varieties. The dark green, glossy leaves and showy orange-red flowers, give way to large colorful bright red fruit that are a stand out in the garden. Standard cultivars take up a lot of room, (8-15’ tall & wide), while the dwarf are much more manageable (2-5’ tall & wide). Great hummingbird plant!

Stay tuned next week for another five great low-maintenance plants!