Living in Texas is wonderful most of the year. Enjoying time in the garden in the spring and fall and having flowers blooming all year round make Texas yards the envy of those living elsewhere.
With all the advantages of living in Texas, there is one undeniable fact–it can be very hot, especially during the summer. When there are long stretches of warm weather, it can be harder to keep your yard looking nice, especially when there’s little or no rain for long stretches of time.
You’ve spent a lot of time, energy and money on your lawn and garden, though, so you don’t want your plants to suffer in the relentless Texas heat. What types of plants should you have in your yard that will survive a Texas summer? Are there particular flowers and grasses that are drought and heat-resistant? What steps should you take to make sure these species last the entire season without withering away? A lawn care professional can advise you on the best plants to survive in the Texas heat.
Full Sun Plants for Texas
When you live in an area as hot as Texas, you can expect prolonged periods of heat and drought.
To make things even harder for homeowners, local governments have enacted watering restrictions to conserve this precious resource, so you may only be able to turn on the sprinklers once a week during the summer months. The result, unfortunately, is often brown grass, dying shrubbery and wilting trees. Thankfully, there are many plant species which have adapted to our climate.
Best Flowers for the Texas Heat
Many ornamental plants simply can’t survive in the hotter weather. Choosing the right flowers for your yard can make it look beautiful throughout the year, year after year. Some of the best choices for Texas yards are several types of columbine, Coreopsis, Fall aster, firebush, plumbago, rock rose, several sage varieties and the shrimp plant.
Columbine
Both red and yellow Columbines do well in the Texas heat. These flowers prefer moist and well-drained soil and can tolerate part shade as well as sunny conditions. Columbines often go dormant during the summer months, when water is scarce. Some hummingbirds flock to these flowers. In late May, trim spent foliage from this species to keep it happy and healthy.
Coreopsis
The Lance-leaf Coreopsis has yellow, daisy-like blooms and does well in both sun and part shade. The species is native to east and southeastern parts of Texas and attracts butterflies. The Coreopsis will produce more flowers if you prune the plant of spent blooms.
Fall Aster
This native plant with small, delicate purple flowers can tolerate both sun and part shade. As the name suggests, blooms peak during fall months and the plant serves as a nectar source. You’ll want to lightly prune this plant during spring and summer to keep its shape compact.
Firebrush
This plant’s distinctive tube-shaped orange-red flowers attract hummingbirds. The firebrush turns a burgundy color during autumn and needs to be protected in case of severe winter weather. After the first hard freeze, cut back this species to six inches to encourage new spring growth.
Plumbago
This attractive flower, which has either sky blue or white blooms, has light green foliage. Plumbagos do best in the morning sun and afternoon shade and can also do well in part shade. Plumbagos attract butterflies and may need to be cut back to about six inches if you experience a hard freeze.
Rock Rose
This small native shrub attracts butterflies and rarely blooms after the spring months. Rock rose blooms resemble those of the hibiscus and can be vulnerable to mildew when placed in the shade. You’ll want to cut this flower back by about a third in late winter.
Sage
The Cedar, Cherry (or Autumn), Jerusalem, Majestic, Mealy Blue, Mexican Bush, Big Red, Russian, San Luis and Tropical Sage varieties are extremely hardy and withstand the Texas heat with ease. They thrive in full sun and are deer and rabbit-resistant and several types attract hummingbirds to your yard. Most species benefit from being pruned after the year’s first freeze.
Shrimp Plant
This flowering species does best in the morning sun and afternoon shade. Its flowers resemble shrimp, which explains how the plant got its name. Shrimp plants also attract hummingbirds and do best when cut back to six inches in the winter to encourage new growth.
Heat-Tolerant Container Plants
For some, the beauty of a garden includes flowers, shrubs and other plants growing in containers around the patio, deck, porch or garden. The best heat-tolerant container plants are also perennials, so you can include them in your garden by themselves, making it easy to switch between a regular garden plant and a container plant, while also allowing you to have the beauty of flowers all year round, regardless the temperature outside. Some species that do well in Texas are geraniums, hibiscus, lantana, pentas and verbena. A lawn care professional can help you decide which plants are best.
Geraniums
These traditional flowers do well in containers, borders and beds. Geraniums come in many colors and can be planted alongside other flowers in window boxes and large tubs. This species does best in light shade in summer and can grow up to three feet.
Hibiscus
Think of a tropical rainforest and the first thing that pops into your head is visions of hibiscus flowers dripping from overhead. Hibiscus plants make fantastic centerpieces in a container garden. They do need higher temperatures to thrive, so if you move them inside during cooler weather, make sure to put them in a greenhouse or bathroom, where they can get enough humidity. When full-grown, hibiscus will need support by tying them to a stake in the dirt.
Lantana
Luscious orange, yellow, pink or lavender-colored flowers overflowing your containers make the lantana perfect companions for your outdoor activities. In the past, lantanas could get unruly, making them unsuitable for containers, but newer varieties have gotten a handle on the spindly shoots. Lantanas also draw butterflies, adding to the charm of these colorful flowers. Just make sure the dirt in the container doesn’t dry out completely or you’ll find your lantanas wilting from thirst.
Pentas
Pentas have beautiful flowers that produce nectar that attracts bees, hummingbirds and birds. Pentas can be lavender, red, pink and white and do best in well-drained soil. Usually, you will need to pinch back the plant to promote flowering. Pentas do best in very bright shade.
Verbena
Over 250 varieties of this flowering plant grow across the warmer climatic zones of the United States. This attractive blooming herb, which thrives in full sun, has been around since the ancient times. Verbena works well in a hanging basket and attracts butterflies.
Heat-resistant container gardens are excellent additions to any outdoor living areas, but they do need to be kept well-watered. They will also need to be brought inside on those rare occasions when the Texas temperatures drop below 45 degrees.
Plants That Grow in Hot Weather: What About My Grass and Ground Cover?
St. Augustine grass is the most common choice for homeowners. It is the most popular grass for lawns and has the appearance of a lush, green carpet in front of your home. There are some drawbacks to it, including being one of the more high-maintenance grasses in Texas. It needs more water than most grasses, which means your beautiful lawn of May will be brown and lifeless by the middle of August.
Zoysia grass is a great alternative to St. Augustine. It has the same lush appearance, but is hardier and more wear-resistant than St. Augustine. Because it grows slowly, it needs less mowing, which is a big plus. As beautiful and hardy as it is, however, it does need to be fertilized as much as once a month and is a bit difficult to maintain, since it does not recover well from damage. It’s best to consult with your lawn care professional to determine if Zoysia grass would work well for your lawn.
The best alternative to St. Augustine and Zoysia grass is Buffalo grass. It’s more rugged than the other grasses, mostly because it is native to Texas and is found throughout the most arid regions of the state. It needs less watering and grows no more than five or six inches, so you can go a few weeks without mowing. It may not win any beauty contests, but it would win “Miss Congeniality;” you’ll need to put less work into it to make it look acceptable.
The other two types of grass you’ll see most often in Texas are Bermuda grass and Rye grass. They’re both heat-resistant grasses, much like Buffalo grass. Because of their hardiness, they are often over-sown into lawns with less hardy grasses to make sure the lawns are green throughout the year, regardless of the weather.
Ground cover are plants that grow close to the ground and are excellent for growing under shrubs and bushes, around trees and in the place of grass. Ground cover can be all green or include low-growing flowering plants, depending on how it fits into the rest of your garden plan.
If you’re using ground cover in shady areas, remember most heat-tolerant plants need some shade. Periwinkle, sweet woodruff, hosta and creeping thyme are perfect ground cover for your shaded areas, especially if there’s some morning sun or dappled sun throughout the day.
For the sunny areas of your yard, plants like phlox are perfect ground cover, as they are particularly heat-resistant and work well just about anywhere in your garden. If you’re unsure of which plants are best for your yard, contact a landscaping professional.
Heat Tolerant Shrubs
To give your yard definition, you’ll probably want plants of varying heights. American beautyberry, Japanese aralia, desert broom and rosemary are good choices for Texas lawns and gardens.
American Beautyberry
This native plant sports purple berries in fall and winter. The American beautyberry works well in your understory, and can be a target of deer and local wildlife. This species does not need pruning and often grows from three to five feet tall and wide.
Japanese Aralia
This large plant that prefers full shade looks like it comes straight from the tropics. Although the Japanese aralia may die back under harsh winter conditions, this species can reach a height of up to 10 feet. During the fall, the aralia produces small cream-colored flowers.
Desert Broom
The desert broom may lose leaves during a drought but is very adaptable. This evergreen shrub with white flowers usually grows to be between three and six feet tall. Because the plant can spread so easily, the desert broom is considered invasive in some parts of the country.
Rosemary
Not only is rosemary a versatile herb, but it’s also a great heat-tolerant Texas shrub. With small pale blue flowers part of the year, rosemary can spread quite a bit in your yard and can even serve as a groundcover. This herb attracts bees and needs good drainage to thrive.
Texas Flowering Shrubs to Add to Your Yard
Maybe you want a hardy type of shrub that also gives your yard a pop of color. Some flowering shrubs that thrive in Texas that fit the bill are glossy abelia, bottlebrush and germander.
Glossy Abelia
If you are looking for a quick-growing, dense evergreen shrub with nice-smelling flowers, you may want to add the glossy abelia to your landscape. Although this plant’s leaves are quite prickly, the bush can provide a home for birds to nest. You won’t need to prune this plant, which produces red berries alongside pink and white blooms.
Bottlebrush
Bottlebrush plants are very distinctive, with unusual spiky-red blooms. In addition to being capable of surviving a Texas summer, bottlebrush plants are largely pest and disease-resistant. Bees are attracted to this flowering plant.
Germander
The germander stands out with its light colored leaves and light purple flowers. Related to mint and lavender, this herb plant can grow in full sun and part shade, in poor and rocky soil. This low-maintenance, deer-resistant plant can easily be pruned to beautify many parts of your yard.
ABC Knows Texas Plants
Living in Texas is unlike living anywhere else, with its beautiful weather all year round, even if it is a bit hot and steamy in the middle of summer. The best part of living in Texas is that you can have a beautiful yard, lawn, patio and deck, full of flowers and greenery, no matter what time of year it is. ABC Home & Commercial Services has been keeping Texas yards happy and healthy for decades. ABC’s lawn care professionals can help keep your grass cut, your sprinklers working and your landscaping fresh and vibrant.
