Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We love new gardeners because we can encourage them to get onto what we consider the right track. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, is dedicated to the growth, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but also to the area in which those plants grow naturally.

A question very similar to yours has also just been answered by Mr. Smarty Plants, including what to do about the jasmine (non-native and very invasive), and plants that make good shade groundcover, all native to the area of North Central Texas, where Hill County is.

You may spend a half a day reading all those sites and the links they have to take you to plant webpages, etc., but there are all kinds of good ideas for shade, erosion control and water conservation. Your last question concerned sources for purchasing plants and/or seeds. Go to our National Suppliers Directory, put your town and state or just your zipcode in the "Enter Search Location" box, and you will get a list of native plant nurseries, seed suppliers and consultants in your general area. All have contact information so you can check in advance to see if they stock what you need or can get it for you. There are lots of alternate plant choices in these various previous answers that you should be able to settle on something that you can obtain.