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.

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?

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

1 rating

Sunday - May 31, 2015

From: Nocona, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shrubs
Title: Native boundary hedgerow plants for North Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have 27 acres of native prairie in the western edge of the cross timbers just a few miles south of the Red River between Nocona and Saint Jo, TX. I'm looking for some Texas native plant choices for boundary hedgerow use. I'm looking for both enhanced wildlife habitat and pollinator values . Any suggestions suitable for this hardiness zone? Thanks

ANSWER:

Please visit our Special Collections page and the JUST FOR TEXANS category. At the bottom of the list you will see By Texas Ecoregion where you will find Cross Timbers and Prairies which lists more than 260 common plants of that region. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option and choose "Shrub" under General Appearance to get a list of the shrubs that grow well in that area. Here are a few with special benefits to wildlife:

Aloysia gratissima (Whitebrush)

Baccharis neglecta (False willow)

Ceanothus americanus (New jersey tea)

Condalia hookeri (Bluewood condalia)

Colubrina texensis (Hog-plum)

Eysenhardtia texana (Texas kidneywood)

Forestiera pubescens var. pubescens (Stretchberry)

Ilex decidua (Possumhaw)

Prunus gracilis (Oklahoma plum)

Prunus rivularis (Creek plum)

Rhus glabra (Smooth sumac)

Rhus microphylla (Littleleaf sumac)