Landscaping
When it comes to beautifying ‘our piece of land’, usually one thinks of trees, shrubs, flowers, color, height, types, and the money such will cost. With this in mind, most usually go to the closest source of greenery whether it be the local garden store, the flea markets, the neighbors, or the mail order catalogs. Unless there is some knowledge of what is going to be planted, there are many times the greenery purchased does not survive “in our part of the world”.
To help with this situation, the Planning and Zoning Department recommends the following landscaping greenery. These are native to our area and survive the heat of our summers, are water conservative, and provide beautiful scenes of color.
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COMMON NAME |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
CHARACTERISTICS |
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SHORT TREES 6 TO 25 FEET TALL |
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Huisache+ |
Deciduous; Delicate leaves |
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Jerusalem Thorn+ |
Deciduous, yellow flowers; fast growing and hardy |
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Mexican Buckeye+ |
Deciduous, rose colored flowers; fall leaf color |
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Wright Acacia+ |
Deciduous; rounded crown; flowers in spring |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME
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SCIENTIFIC NAME |
CHARACTERISTICS |
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SMALL TREES 20 TO 35 FEET TALL |
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Desert Willow* |
Chilopsis Linearis
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Flowers in summer |
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Eldarica Pine+ |
Best for alkaline soils; Christmas tree shaped |
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Honey Mesquite* |
Lacy spreading form |
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Mexican Plum* |
Spring flowers |
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Texas Ebony* |
Airy foliage and flowers |
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Wild Olive* |
White flowers and bold foliage |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME
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SCIENTIFIC NAME
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CHARACTERISTICS
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LARGE TREES ABOVE 35 FEET TALL |
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Bald Cypress* |
Deciduous conifer; fall color |
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Chinquapin Oak* |
Round-topped tree; bold foliage |
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Honey Locust |
Thornless varieties available |
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Live Oak |
Evergreen shade tree |
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Shumard Oak |
Fall color |
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Texas Red Oak |
Fall color |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME |
SCIENTIFIC NAME
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CHARACTERISTICS
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DWARF SHRUBS 1 TO 3 FEET TALL |
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Autumn sage+ |
Evergreen; full to part sun; flowers |
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Dwarf Pittosporum |
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Small; round evergreen |
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Mealy Blue Sage |
Evergreen; blue flowers |
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Mountain Sage |
Evergreen; sun; flowers spring through fall seasons |
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Rosemary |
Fragrant blue-green foliage; blue flowers; herb |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME
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SCIENTIFIC NAME
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CHARACTERISTICS
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SMALL SHRUBS 1 TO 3 FEET TALL |
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China Rose |
Hardy; long blooming; pest resistant |
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Dwarf Palmetto* |
Trunkless; bushy palm |
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Sotol+ |
Evergreen; flowers; cactus-like narrow leaves |
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Tea Rose |
Pest resistant; flowers; hardy |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME
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SCIENTIFIC NAME
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CHARACTERISTICS
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MEDIUM SHRUBS 6 TO 9 FEET TALL |
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Agarita* |
Yellow spring flowers; red edible berries; evergreen |
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Catclaw Acacia+ |
Deciduous; delicate leaves |
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Central Texas Sage |
Evergreen foliage; summer flowers |
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Esperanza |
Floriferous plant; easy to grow; yellow flowers |
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Green Pittosporum |
Large evergreen shrub |
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Italian Jasmine |
Sprawling evergreen; summer flowers |
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Pomegranate |
Orange flowers; edible fruit |
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Roemer Acacia+ |
Diciduous; Delicate leaves |
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Variegated Pittospurum |
Green/white variegated evergeeen |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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COMMON NAME
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SCIENTIFIC NAME
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CHARACTERISTICS
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SMALL SHRUBS 10 TO 25 FEET TALL |
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Bougainvillea |
Torny vine; evergreen shrub |
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California Fan Palm |
Tree-like palm, slow growth |
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Cherry Laurel* |
Tree-like evergreen |
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Oleander |
Summer flowers; evergreen |
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Possumhaw* |
Deciduous holly; red berries |
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Texas Mountain laurel* |
Tree-like evergreen; spring flowers |
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Texas Palmetto* |
Tall palm |
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Texas Persimmon* |
Tree-like; fruit edible by animals |
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Whitehorn Acacia+ |
Deciduous; delicate leaves, filtered shade |
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Windmill Palm |
Tree-like |
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*Texas Native |
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+Can survive on 10 inches or less water per year |
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For more native plants suitable specifically to our area, visit The Native Plant Project of the LRGV
