Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
146 ratings

Monday - March 13, 2006

From: Leander, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: List of native perennial Texas flowers
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Dean Garrett

QUESTION:

Good day, I am searching for a list of native Texas flowers (preferably perennials) for a flower garden. Thank you.

ANSWER:

Living in Leander, you'll have many plant options to choose from. Here's a starter list for Central Texas perennials culled primarily from the Hill Country landscape plan in Andy and Sally Wasowski's Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region, an excellent book that should be easy for you to find at your local library, bookstore, or garden center. The Kerrville Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas also provides an extensive list of Native Plants for Landscaping in the Texas Hill Country. The list here is limited to plants that prefer full sun, but the resources listed above offer several options for shady beds as well.

PERENNIALS, SUN

Perennial Winecups (Callirhoë involucrata)
Sundrops (Calylophus berlandieri)
Cutleaf Daisy (Engelmannia peristenea)
Purple Prairie Verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida)
Gayfeather, Blazing Star (Liatris mucronata)
Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum)
Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
Foxglove Penstemon (Penstemon cobaea)
Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea)
Velvetleaf Senna (Senna lindheimeriana)
Four-Nerve Daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa)
Greenthread (Thelesperma filifolia)
Zexmenia (Wedelia texana)

LOW, FLOWERING SHRUBS, SUN

Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii)
Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides)
Rose Pavonia (Pavonia lasiopetala)

You can look for nurseries in your area that specialize in native plants and seeds in the National Suppliers Directory.

Callirhoe involucrata

Calylophus berlandieri ssp. pinifolius

Engelmannia peristenia

Glandularia bipinnatifida

Liatris mucronata

Melampodium leucanthum

Oenothera speciosa

Penstemon cobaea

Salvia farinacea

Senna lindheimeriana

Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa

Thelesperma filifolium

Wedelia texana

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

Lantana urticoides

Pavonia lasiopetala
 

More Wildflowers Questions

More on bluebonnets
January 09, 2007 - My wife has recently contacted and met relatives from Texas (her father was a war baby born in the 1940's). Her new found Aunt Sarah has kindly given me some Bluebonnet seeds to plant "a corner of T...
view the full question and answer

Raised bed for wildflowers in Kilgore TX
September 29, 2008 - Please give me ideas of how to build a raised wildflower garden in a small back yard with 50% shade all day. I have common bermuda grass with an area of a 5' X 10' setting that will receive the mos...
view the full question and answer

Autumn flowering Texas wildflowers
May 07, 2008 - Where might I get a list of autumn flowering Texas wildflowers?
view the full question and answer

Smoky Mountains Shaded Slope Plant Suggestions
April 29, 2013 - We live in a very shady spot in Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. We would like to plant vegetation on a sloped area behind our cottage to stop erosion after building an addition. Our h...
view the full question and answer

Smarty Plants on wildflower collecting
August 23, 2004 - Is wildflower collecting a good school activity?
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.