Native Plants
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Wednesday - July 23, 2008
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Cacti and Succulents, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Texas natives to plant in July and August
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
My husband and I have a disaster of a lawn that we were planning to develop slowly, over time, with a sustainable design we contracted from a landscape designer. However, we are having to move out of the house urgently and rent it out, with little time to prepare the front yard to add curb appeal. We'd like to find some plants we can design with gravel, which we can actually plant in July or August. (I'm not convinced that even natives could survive a planting this time of year.) Any suggestions??ANSWER:
Well, you're right—this is not the ideal time to be planting something in Austin, given the heat and lack of rain. You, your property management agent or your tenant will need to water the newly planted plants for awhile to help them get established. Even the toughest plants cannot stand transplaning in mid-summer without some extra care. However, going with a sort of desert theme, here are a few options that should work and look good with your gravel.
Hesperaloe parviflora (redflower false yucca)
Manfreda maculosa (spice lily)
Chrysactinia mexicana (damianita)
Dasylirion texanum (Texas sotol)
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