Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - June 07, 2008
From: South Padre Island, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Erosion Control, Cacti and Succulents, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Landscaping on South Padre Island
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I'm in charge of landscaping at my beachfront condo in South Padre Island and find the wind, salt air, and heat challenging for growing almost anything. We would like to incorporate native plants, but don't know where to start. Can you give us some suggestions? We owners thank you!ANSWER:
This is a challenge, because it's a fairly unique environment. We went to our Recommended Species, clicked on South Texas, and then searched on grasses. shrubs, cacti and succulents, shrubs and trees. We were looking for fibrous roots that would grip the sandy soil, tolerance of calcium carbonate (which is found in rock, but also main component of shells of marine organisms), preference for sandy soil and capable of growing in Cameron County's USDA Hardiness Zone, which is 9b to 10. We feel your best bet is going to be grasses-if it gets too windy, they just bend over, they don't have to be mowed, they are usually attractive year-round with very little care, and they definitely will contribute to holding the soil. We also found a few taller, more substantial plants that have a good chance of doing well there. We found a website from the Virginia Cooperative Extension on Trees and Shrubs that Tolerate Saline Soils and Salt Spray Drift. It has some good suggestions on ways to protect plantings from salt spray and also lists some plants that tolerate salt spray. Unfortunately, many of them are non-natives of North America, not to mention South Texas. But perhaps it will give you some ideas on placement of the plants you select.
Some of the descriptions on the webpages linked to the plant Latin names (below) actually mention toleration of salinity, but not many. Hopefully, if you contact the Texas Cooperative Extension Office, Cameron County, they will have better local information on plants that will grow in those conditions. When you are ready to start selecting plants, go to our native plant Suppliers site, enter your town and state in the Enter Search Location box, and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed companies and landscape consultants in your general area. They also should be in a good position to advise you on the best plants for your locale.
GRASSES
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem)
Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass)
Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats)
SHRUBS
Eysenhardtia texana (Texas kidneywood)
CACTI/SUCCULENTS
Hesperaloe parviflora (redflower false yucca)
TREES
Acacia farnesiana (sweet acacia)
Sabal mexicana (Rio Grande palmetto)
More Cacti and Succulents Questions
Flying insects attacking yucca flacida in Wilmington NC
June 11, 2010 - How do I treat flying insects from eating the flowers on my Yucca Flaccida shrub.
view the full question and answer
Growing Conditions for Yucca cernua
October 22, 2011 - Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua:
I bought many lovely plants at the Wildflower Center sale on Friday, among them, a Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua. 24 of the 25 plants I bought are already in the grou...
view the full question and answer
Repotting non-native Agave ghiesbreghtii from Spring TX
June 03, 2012 - I've recently purchased an Agave ghiesbreghtii, and will need to re-pot it soon.
I have some cactus soil mix as well as a few rocks to put in the bottom of its new pot. There seem to be roots comi...
view the full question and answer
Thorny shrub for deterring break-ins in southeast Texas
February 05, 2013 - Looking for a very, very, thorny three or four foot tall shrub for in front of windows to deter break-ins. Considering Rosa Rugosa rose but it is not native.
view the full question and answer
Black rot at center of Agave from Clovis CA
May 12, 2013 - We have some beautiful variegated "Green & Cream" Agave plants in our cactus garden. One in particular has done quite well for several years and is the largest, about 18" tall & across, it has neve...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |