Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

To get an idea of the size of plants we need to look for, I consulted this link from North Carolina State University and found that dwarf cultivars of Crape Myrtle range from 5 to 20’.

The Houston Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) has a program called NICE (Natives Instead of Common Exotics) that encourages people to utilize native plants in their landscape, and provides suggested alternatives for the exotics. Below is an excerpted list of “Bird and Butterfly Plants” which has several alternatives for crape myrtle.

Small Trees:
Use: 
Mexican Plum, Redbud, Green Hawthorn, Deciduous Holly, Cherry Laurel, Wild Crab Apple, American Holly, Red Buckeye, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Farkleberry, Smooth Sumac, Flame-Leaf Sumac, Tooth-Ache Tree
Instead of Exotics: 
Bradford Pear, Crape Myrtle, Wax Leaf Ligustrum, Red tip Photinia 
 
Medium Sized Trees:
Use: 
Red Buckeye, American Hop Hornbeam, Hornbeam, Gum Bumelia, Flowering Dogwood, Rough-leaf Dogwood,
Mexican Plum, Redbud, Carolina Buckthorn, Drummond Red Maple, Green Hawthorn, American Holly
Instead of Exotics:
Bradford Pear, Chinese Elm (also known as lacebark, Drake, Allee, Bosque Elm), Crape Myrtle, Red tip Photinia,
Chinese Tallow, Goldenrain Tree, Chinese Umbrella Tree (also known as Chinaberry Tree or Melia), Mimosa,

This sort of looks overwhelming but if we utilize our Native Plant Database, we might can make it manageable.

First, lets select a few plants that could be possibilities. ( Redbud, Cherry Laurel, Flame-leaf sumac, Deciduous Holly). Now go to the the Database and enter each plant name (one at a time) in the “Search native plant database” box. Click the “go” button, and you will get the NPIN page for that plant. Things to look for on the page: the scientific name of the plant, a description of the plant that includes its mature size, growth requirements such as amount of water, light needed, and soil type, and other plant characteristics. Scroll down to the “Additional Resources” box and click on the plant name next to USDA plants. The page that comes up contains a distribution map that shows the geographical areas where the plant grows.
Do this for all of the plants on our short list, and if you are still having fun, continue on through the long list and see what strikes your fancy.

Our Suppliers Directory can help you locate businesses in your area that sell the plants you select .