Martin Byhower 7/25/26 Martin Byhower 7/25/26

Woolly Stemodia

Woolly Stemodia (Stemodia lanata) is a charming, low-growing Texas native perennial prized for its soft, woolly silver-gray foliage and delicate lavender flowers. Blooming from spring through fall, it attracts native bees and other pollinators while thriving in full sun, heat, drought, and rocky limestone soils. Its compact habit and attractive texture make it an excellent choice for rock gardens, edging pathways, and the front of native plant beds, where it provides year-round interest with very little maintenance.

Martin Byhower 7/24/26 Martin Byhower 7/24/26

Blue Agave/ Century Plant

Blue Agave

Agave americana ‘Mediopicta’

Blue Agave is a bold, architectural succulent prized for its broad blue-gray leaves that form a dramatic, symmetrical rosette. Its striking color and sculptural form make it an outstanding focal point in xeriscapes, rock gardens, and Southwestern landscapes. Once established, Blue Agave is exceptionally drought tolerant and thrives in full sun with excellent drainage. Mature plants eventually produce a spectacular flowering stalk before completing their life cycle, while offsets continue the colony.

Martin Byhower 7/24/26 Martin Byhower 7/24/26

Texas Green Sotol

Dasylirion texanum

Texas Green Sotol is a rugged, evergreen native of Central and South Texas that forms a bold, symmetrical rosette of narrow green leaves. Its architectural shape provides year-round interest and serves as a striking focal point in rock gardens, xeriscapes, and native landscapes. Mature plants may produce an impressive flowering stalk that rises well above the foliage, attracting bees and other pollinators. Exceptionally heat and drought tolerant, Texas Green Sotol thrives in full sun and well-drained soils with very little maintenance.

Martin Byhower 7/24/26 Martin Byhower 7/24/26

Blue Twist-Leaf Yucca

Blue Twist Yucca
Yucca ‘Blue Twist’ (Y. rupicola × Y. pallida)

Blue Twist Yucca is a striking hybrid that combines the graceful, twisting foliage of Yucca rupicola with the powdery blue coloration of Yucca pallida. It forms a compact, evergreen rosette of soft, blue-gray leaves that add year-round texture and color to the landscape. In late spring, tall flower stalks emerge with creamy white, bell-shaped blooms that attract pollinators. Exceptionally heat and drought tolerant once established, Blue Twist is an outstanding choice for xeriscapes, rock gardens, and water-wise gardens with well-drained soils.

Martin Byhower 7/23/26 Martin Byhower 7/23/26

Agave lophantha

Agave lophantha ‘Splendida’ Agave lophantha ‘Splendida’ is a striking variegated selection of the native Texas agave, prized for its symmetrical rosettes of dark green leaves accented by bright lime-green center stripes. White-edged teeth and a sharp terminal spine add bold architectural character, making it an outstanding focal point in rock gardens, xeriscapes, and modern landscapes. This compact agave thrives in full sun and excellent drainage, tolerates drought and limestone soils once established, and slowly forms attractive clumps by producing offsets. Like other agaves, each individual rosette flowers only once late in its life, but the surrounding pups continue the colony for many years.

Martin Byhower 7/21/26 Martin Byhower 7/21/26

Sangria Esperanza

Sangria Esperanza Tecoma ‘Sangria’ is a compact selection of Yellow Bells prized for its rich reddish-orange buds that open to deep reddish- golden-yellow trumpet-shaped flowers from late spring until frost. It thrives in full sun and handles Central Texas heat, drought, and alkaline soils with ease once established. Its colorful blooms are a favorite of hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees, providing months of nectar when many other plants slow down during summer. More compact and densely branched than standard Yellow Bells, Sangria Esperanza fits well in smaller landscapes while delivering continuous color with minimal maintenance. It may freeze back after hard winters but reliably returns from the roots each spring.

Martin Byhower 7/21/26 Martin Byhower 7/21/26

Yellow Bells

Yellow Bells Tecoma stans is a fast-growing shrub or small tree that produces clusters of brilliant golden-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers from late spring until frost. It thrives in full sun, tolerates heat, drought, and a variety of soils once established, making it an excellent choice for Central Texas landscapes. Its nectar-rich blooms are especially attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees, providing color and wildlife value through the hottest months of the year. Although it may freeze back during unusually cold winters, established plants usually recover quickly from the roots. With its long bloom season, ease of care, and vibrant display, Yellow Bells is an outstanding focal point or background shrub for water-wise gardens.

Martin Byhower 7/21/26 Martin Byhower 7/21/26

Pride of Barbados

Pride of Barbados Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a spectacular tropical shrub known for its brilliant orange, red, and yellow flowers that bloom from late spring until frost. It thrives in full sun and tolerates heat, drought, and alkaline soils once established. Although it freezes to the ground during most Central Texas winters, it quickly returns in spring and often reaches 5–8 feet tall in a single growing season. It is highly attractive to butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, providing abundant nectar during the hottest months when many other plants have stopped blooming. While I generally recommend native plants whenever possible, Pride of Barbados is one of the few non-native species I consistently endorse because it is exceptionally well adapted to our climate, is not considered invasive, requires very little supplemental water once established, and offers outstanding value to pollinators and hummingbirds. For gardeners seeking dramatic summer color with relatively little maintenance, it is an excellent choice.

Martin Byhower 7/20/26 Martin Byhower 7/20/26

Button Bush

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is one of the best native shrubs for supporting wildlife in moist areas. Its unique, spherical white flowers resemble pincushions and bloom in summer, attracting a remarkable variety of butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. The flowers are followed by decorative seed heads that provide food for ducks and other birds, while the dense branching offers excellent cover for wildlife. Buttonbush thrives in consistently moist soils and even tolerates standing water, making it an outstanding choice for rain gardens, pond edges, low spots, or streambanks. Although it naturally prefers wet conditions, it can adapt to average garden soils with supplemental watering during dry periods.

Martin Byhower 7/20/26 Martin Byhower 7/20/26

Chile Pequin

Chile Pequin (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) is a hardy Texas native shrub-like perennial that produces hundreds of tiny, fiery red peppers beloved by birds but ignored by deer and most mammals. Delicate white flowers appear from late spring through summer, followed by bright red fruits that persist into fall, providing an important food source for mockingbirds, thrashers, cardinals, and many other songbirds. Thriving in dappled shade or morning sun, Chile Pequin is exceptionally heat and drought tolerant once established and makes an attractive addition to native gardens, woodland edges, and edible landscapes. The peppers are extremely hot and can be harvested for fresh or dried culinary use, adding both wildlife value and ornamental appeal to the garden.

Martin Byhower 7/20/26 Martin Byhower 7/20/26

Fall Aster

Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is one of the stars of the autumn garden, producing masses of lavender to violet, daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers just as many other plants are finishing their bloom season. This hardy Texas native perennial forms a dense, rounded mound of aromatic foliage and thrives in the heat, drought, and limestone soils of Central Texas. Its late-season flowers are an invaluable source of nectar for native bees, butterflies, and migrating monarchs, making it one of the most important pollinator plants for fall. Easy to grow and long-lived, Fall Aster adds a spectacular splash of color to native gardens, borders, meadows, and wildlife landscapes.

Martin Byhower 7/20/26 Martin Byhower 7/20/26

Brazos (Gulf Coast) Penstemon

Brazos Penstemon (Penstemon tenuis) is an elegant Texas native perennial prized for its tall spikes of soft lavender to pale purple, tubular flowers that bloom in spring. A favorite of hummingbirds, native bees, and butterflies, it adds height and graceful movement to sunny or lightly shaded gardens while thriving in the clay and limestone soils common across Central Texas. Once established, Brazos Penstemon is both drought tolerant and easy to grow, making it an excellent choice for native plant gardens, pollinator habitats, and naturalized landscapes. Its delicate blooms and upright form pair beautifully with grasses, salvias, and other native wildflowers.

Martin Byhower 7/20/26 Martin Byhower 7/20/26

Orange Zexmenia

Orange Zexmenia (Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida) is a tough, long-blooming Texas native perennial that lights up the garden with cheerful golden-orange, daisy-like flowers from spring through fall. Adapted to the heat, drought, and limestone soils of Central Texas, it thrives in full sun and asks for very little care once established. Its bright blooms attract a wide variety of native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, while its spreading habit makes it an excellent choice for naturalized plantings, meadows, slopes, and informal borders. Orange Zexmenia combines exceptional resilience with months of color, making it one of the most dependable native wildflowers for water-wise landscapes.