Native plants

Native Plants of Texas

Texas spans deserts, prairies, and humid woodlands, so its native plants are built for heat, drought, and clay or caliche soils that defeat fussier imports. Planting natives means less watering once established, fewer inputs, and far more life in the garden — from migrating monarchs to hummingbirds and native bees. The picks below are tough, regionally adapted perennials and shrubs that flower hard through a long Texas season. Choose those suited to your part of the state and soil, and you build habitat that largely takes care of itself.

Native picks for Texas

1. Texas Lantana

   Shrub

   A heat- and drought-loving shrub whose orange-and-yellow flower clusters bloom from spring to frost, drawing butterflies and native bees through the hottest months when little else is flowering.

2. Turk's Cap

   Perennial

   Thrives in shade to part sun where many natives will not, producing twisted red blooms that are a magnet for hummingbirds, and berries that feed birds and small wildlife into fall.

3. Gregg's Mistflower

   Perennial

   Its fuzzy blue flower heads are one of the strongest fall nectar sources for migrating queen and monarch butterflies, often covered in them, while spreading happily to fill a sunny bed.

4. Blackfoot Daisy

   Perennial

   A compact, mounding wildflower that blooms white daisies for much of the year on lean, rocky soil, asking almost nothing in return and feeding small native bees and butterflies.

5. Flame Acanthus

   Shrub

   A late-summer hummingbird favorite, its slender tubular orange-red flowers bloom in the heat when nectar is scarce, on a tough, drought-hardy shrub that also shelters native bees.

6. Cedar Sage

   Perennial

   A shade-tolerant sage for dappled woodland edges, its bright red blooms draw hummingbirds in spring, thriving under live oaks and junipers where sun-lovers struggle.

7. Mealy Blue Sage

   Perennial

   Spikes of soft blue-violet flowers bloom spring through fall on a drought-tough, deer-resistant perennial, providing steady nectar for bees, butterflies, and the occasional hummingbird.