Now is the Time

Sometimes it's hard to get started. But, when you do it you know that now is the time.

Tom and I got together and I could tell he was ready to get busy working on his yard. And he knew he needed help and making the call was the first step.

The last 5 years Mother Nature has given us some pretty crazy weather here in Central Texas. Droughts, floods, 100 year freezes, and ice storms that devastated our landscapes. So when people ask me what's normal, I don't really have an answer. Usually we have to go by what history has told us over the years...and hope it works out.

So, that being said, here are some of the plants I'm telling Tom I think will work to help him recreate his landscape in San Antonio.

We need vines! I really like evergreen vines that bloom, like

-Tangerine Beauty Crossvine.

-Star Jasmine- this one is fragrant too.

-Hall's Honeysuckle. Years ago I hear that a survey found that men's favorite fragrance is honeysuckle...I didn't know that.

-Coral Honeysuckle- another good, evergreen vine.

-Oakleaf Hydrangea. The one hydrangea that loves our soil.

-Rose Creek Abelia is the best compact Abelia.

And while we are in the shade, here are good plants that do great there

-Gold Dust Aucuba.

-Picturata Aucuba-an offshoot of Gold Dust. It's hard to find but it's eye catching for sure.

-Acanthus mollis-speaking off eye catching. This one will stop traffic.

-Foxtail Fern-every landscape needs at least 2 or 10 of these.

-Xanadu Philodendron can survive without any help.

-Clumping Bamboo-I love it. It just keeps on getting better...year after year.

Need a border for a bed??

-Variegated Japanese Sedge

-Big Blue, or more commonly known as Green Liriope

-And Variegated Liriope.

And some good dependable shrubs

-Don's Dwarf Waxmyrtle-easy to keep short

-Viburnum suspensum

-Dwarf Yaupon Holly-probably the most popular dwarf shrub God created (and every nurseryman said 'thank you Lord!')

And bigger shrubs

-Compact Cherry Laurel

-Nellie Stevens Holly (my favorite)

-Dwarf Burford Holly

-Giant Leopard Plant is great in the shade. And it blooms in December-January.

-Holly Fern is an evergreen fern and does great in the shade

-Variegated Flax Lily adds interest to a shady location.

Here are some great perennials

-Tuscan Blue Rosemary can be used as a shrub in San Antonio and that's nice because the deer don't eat it.

-New varieties of Esperanza include Sparklette

-and Lydia. This one stays shorter and doesn't put on very many seed pods so it blooms longer.

There are several crapemyrtle that have been in the landscape for 30 years and they are no longer performing very well. Maybe it's time to replace them with new varieties or find something new. When it comes to a "stand alone point of interest," here are a few ideas

-Crapemyrtle-there are over 100 varieties available and new ones every year. Some mature as short as 3' some over 40'. Choose the height you need so you don't have to shear them every year.

-Perennial Hibiscus-some are called Rose of Sharon or Althea. The first one I saw was in the parking lot of a hotel in Austin. It was covered with white blooms and was 15' tall and 30 wide. A variety called Diana I believe. They come on a variety of colors. Some are bush size, others are tree size. Shop around and see what's available. I think this photo is Lord Baltimore Mallow Hibiscus.

-Rising Sun Redbud-this variety of redbud blooms just like the others, but it has golden foliage. There are others that have maroon foliage. But, these unique varieties are in limited supply and sell out fast in the spring.

There are several areas where you want a path or walkway. Here are a couple of ideas.

-Stepping Stones-this is the easiest DIY method. You can buy them a few at a time at your local box store and spread them on top of the ground how ever you like.

-Flagstone-This too is a common DIY method. This is actually my yard. It's an area where grass wouldn't grow because of high traffic or too much shade. I put down flagstone, one at a time until the bed was shaped. Then I planted it with shade tolerant plants.

-Pavers-this method is usually done by the professionals. They can make it narrow or wide as you want. Or as big as a patio. Fancy or plain. It's your call.

And that's it for today!

If you have comments or questions let me know. My contact info is on the page before this one.