Whether you’re in Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio or Austin, the threat of water shortages and restrictions make tending a grass lawn a challenge.
Austin is currently in Stage 2 water restrictions and San Antonio is in Stage 4 water restrictions.
One way to combat that is to switch to grass alternatives like artificial grass or Texas native landscaping plants.
Native plants for Texas yards require almost no irrigation and can survive periods of drought, as well as heat and soil conditions. But which ones should you choose?
Here are 10 of the best drought-tolerant native plants to beautify your yard and save on resources…
10 Texas Native Landscape Plants to Save Water
The best Texas native landscape plants to beautify your yard while saving water and requiring almost no upkeep are: Texas Sage, Texas Mountain Laurel, Black-Eyed Susan, Red Yucca, Dwarf Palmetto, Texas Lantana, Autumn Sage, Purple Coneflower, Yaupon Holly, and Flame Acanthus.
We’ll take a closer look at each of these native drought-tolerant plants below but, first, here’s an idea if you’re looking for the ultimate water-saving and low-maintenance landscaping idea for your Texas yard…
Looking for a Grass Alternative That Requires NO Water?
What if you want the appearance of real grass but without the work or the water usage?
A 1,000-square-foot lawn typically requires around 623 gallons of water to receive one inch of water. This common guideline for healthy lawn watering means that watering twice a week uses over 50,000 gallons of water per year. That can be eliminated with artificial grass.
Artificial grass increasingly looks like the real thing but requires no water—and no mowing, fertilizing, aerating, overseeding, or other work and expense. You don’t need to worry about droughts, sun, shade, foot traffic, drainage, pests or disease.
What’s more, synthetic grass usually pays back its installation costs within five years, leading to significant cost savings over its long lifespan,
Different types of synthetic turf suit different purposes—from lawns, pet areas, and pool areas to backyard playgrounds and putting greens.
We’ve helped thousands of Texas homeowners switch from water-guzzling grass lawns to water-wise synthetic grass…
GET A FREE ARTIFICIAL GRASS ESTIMATE
The experienced team at DFW Turf Solutions can help you install the lowest water option for your backyard. Get a free estimate here.
What Are Native Plants and Why Are They Important?
Native Texan plants were growing in the state before “settlement”. They include wildflowers, shrubs, trees, succulents, and vines.
These plants have evolved or adapted to the local environment over thousands of years and naturally flourish sustainably in the climate and soil conditions. They form an important part of our local habitats and ecosystem, attracting native wildlife and using less water, pesticides, and other resources while helping to conserve the soil conditions.
Texas has several different climatic regions—from arid to subtropical—so the native plants also vary by region. But they all make gardening and maintaining your yard easier.
Top 10 Texas Native Plants for a Water-Smart Yard
Following are the best native landscaping plants for yards in different regions of Texas…
1. Texas Sage or Cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens)
Best region: South Texas
Plant type: Shrub
Texas sage is the official “State Native Shrub of Texas” and is best suited to southern Texas and the arid regions of northern Mexico.
This shrub is highly drought resistant and very low maintenance with vibrant purple blooms that can brighten any south Texan yard. When not in bloom, Texas sage is recognizable by its silvery foliage.
As a resilient and eye-catching native plant, Texas Sage is a great addition to backyards in the most drought-threatened areas of the state.
2. Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)
Best region: South Texas
Plant type: Tree
Another drought-resistant native Texan plant that does best in the south is Mountain Laurel.
This evergreen tree is very low-maintenance and especially known for its beautiful, fragrant, purple flowers and glossy leaves, attracting wildlife and helping to create a peaceful, eco-friendly haven in your yard.
Only minimal irrigation and occasional pruning are required to keep Mountain Laurel looking wonderful in your yard.
3. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Best region: Central Texas
Plant type: Wildflower
Black-Eyed Susan is an eye-catching native Texan bloomer, with bright yellow daisy-like flowers blooming in the summer.
Highly tolerant of heat and soil conditions, pollinator-friendly, and thriving in full sun, Black-Eyed Susan saves water and helps the local ecosystem by attracting butterflies.
The only maintenance required with these flowers is the occasional removal of dead blooms.
4. Red yucca or hummingbird yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
Best region: Central Texas
Plant type: Succulent
Red yucca is a type of succulent but, despite its name, it is not technically a yucca. The name derives from its yucca-like, blade-type foliage, closely resembling a yucca plant.
Succulents and cacti store water in their tissues. The most striking feature of red yucca, however, is its tubular, coral-colored flowers that bloom in the late spring or early summer, which are known to attract hummingbirds.
This native Texan plant prefers full sun and dry sandy, clay, loam or limestone soils and requires very little maintenance to flourish.
5. Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)
Best region: Central Texas
Plant type: Shrub
Yaupon Holly is an evergreen shrub that promotes eco-friendly gardening, requiring little water and attracting local birdlife with its bright red berries.
Growing up to a height of 12-25 feet, Yaupon Holly trees can be single or multi-trunked, with gray bark and dark green leaves.
Yaupon Holy thrives in full sun, partial shade or even full shade and tolerates most soil types. It requires a little pruning from time to time.
6. Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor)
Best region: North Texas
Plant type: Palm
Dwarf palmetto is a type of mini-palm tree well suited to North Texas as it is drought-tolerant and resistant to the cold—but it may need a little help in below-freezing temperatures.
This palm is equally at home in full sun or partial shade. It prefers moist, well-draining soils.
Dwarf Palmetto has distinctive, fan-shaped, pale green or bluish fronds. It is slow-growing, making it low maintenance. It is ideal as a decorative native plant or as a privacy hedge.
7. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Best region: North Texas
Plant type: Wildflower
Purple coneflower is a native wildflower with vibrant, lavender-colored, daisy-like petals around a spiny brown center. It usually remains in bloom from the spring through the summer, attracting pollinators throughout this period.
If you’re trying to save water and maintenance in North Texas but don’t want to sacrifice the colorful appearance of your flower beds, this striking, drought-resistant plant fits the bill.
Purple coneflower is quick-growing and prefers full sun or partial shade, with well-draining and dry and medium soils.
8. Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides)
Best region: East Texas
Plant type: Shrub
Texas Lantana or Calico Bush is another native, drought-resistant shrub but it is best suited to the climate in the east of the state.
Tolerant of the heat and poor soils, and preferring full sun, this spreading shrub offers vibrant and colorful orange/yellow blooms from late spring through early fall. Its attractive tubular flowers are a magnet for butterflies and birds.
Texas Lantana should be planted away from areas where children might play as its branches have sharp spines and its leaves are poisonous. It needs little maintenance besides some cutting back of branches to encourage new growth.
9. Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii)
Best region: West Texas
Plant type: Shrub
Autumn Sage is a water-efficient plant also noted for its extended bloom period, which attracts pollinators and benefits the local ecosystem.
This evergreen shrub is deer-resistant and tolerant of drought, blooming from March to November and bringing a splash of red, white or pink to rocky, well-drained soils of the central, southern, and especially western regions of Texas.
Very low-maintenance, Autumn Sage brings both colorful beauty and water wisdom to Texan yards.
10. Flame Acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii)
Best region: West Texas
Plant type: Shrub
Flame Acanthus has fiery tubular red flowers that bloom in mid-summer and early fall when many other plants are out of season. This helps this drought-resistant shrub stand out in Texas yards, especially in the west of the state.
The bright flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insects, flourishing in full sun or partial shade and most soil conditions.
Flame Acanthus grows to around 3-5 feet and generally needs pruning in the winter to encourage healthy growth.
What is Xeriscaping?
When researching the best Texas native landscaping plants, you may hear the term “xeriscaping”.
Xeriscaping is a method of landscaping that relies heavily on native plants because it groups plants by their low-water needs. These native plants are often supplemented with artificial grass, mulch, gravel, and other ground materials rather than real grass.
More Texas homeowners are looking for sustainable gardening methods that are less of a drain on resources than real grass lawns. So, xeriscaping fits the bill.
Other Quick Tips to Conserve Water When Landscaping
A few other quick tips for conserving water in your yard:
FAQs
Save Water with Artificial Grass Landscaping in Texas…
Native plants not only help you save water. They reduce lawn maintenance costs/time, attract pollinators, and enhance curb appeal.
However, if you miss a splash of verdant green in your yard but want to remain water-wise and low maintenance, artificial grass has many benefits.
Properly installed and maintained synthetic turf looks like the real thing and can last 15 to 20 years. That equates to around 750,000-1 million gallons of water saved over the course of its life—and a lot of money saved on your water bill.
Artificial grass also works beautifully with native Texan landscaping plants, as you can see here:
Speak to our experienced team of turf professionals to discuss your options. We’ve helped homeowners enjoy low-maintenance, landscaped yard areas for well over a decade…
