Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) Plant Information

Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)

Native Range: Texas
Sun/Shade: Full sun to part-shade.
Flowers: Pink or white on cascading stems in spring and fall.
Landscape Use: This Hill Country native is a perennial roadside wild flower. It
makes an attractive low cascading, elegant, colorful, bush that is dependable
and more substantial than some other delicate wild-flowers, and looks
interesting even when not in bloom.
Container Use: Very nice cascading over lower color in pots. Size: The lower
foliage gets up to one foot tall while the airy flower stems may reach 2 ½ feet
high and wide.
Type: Perennial that returns faithfully after freezing weather in spring. Deer
Resistance: Not enough information.
Butterflies: Butterflies love it.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with occasional
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow to
dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. Easy Watering
Principle=Water every day the first week; every second day the second week;
every third day the third week; every fourth day the fourth week; every fifth day
the fifth week. A soaking rainfall should last for about two weeks worth of
watering. Do not keep constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Looks even better with regular fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: Cut off old flower stems to the base foliage to keep it
blooming and tidy. Can let this plant go natural, and it will still give an elegant
look to the landscape.
Rating: Rates high as a landscape plant.

Dwarf Little Leaf Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) Plant Information

Dwarf Little Leaf Euonymus

(Euonymus fortunei)

Native Range: East Asia
Sun/Shade: Part shade to full sun
Landscape Use: This small evergreen shrub has dark green leaves and
makes a nice two to three foot evergreen shrub. It naturally grows more
upright than round but can easily be trained into any formal shape. The
leaves look like Japanese Boxwood, only darker green. Should be used
much more but Dwarf Yaupon Holly has dominated its size category. Gives
darker, richer, green color than Dwarf Yaupon Holly but is too early to tell if
it is as drought tolerant as Dwarf Yaupon Holly.
Container Use: Makes nice greenery for pots.
Size: 2’ to 4’ tall and 2’ wide
Deer Resistance: Not enough information yet.
Drought Tolerance: Moderately drought tolerant but looks best with
occasional watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow
to dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. Easy Watering
Principle= Water every day the first week; every second day the second
week; every third day the third week; every fourth day the fourth week;
every fifth day the fifth week. A soaking rainfall should last for about two
weeks worth of watering. Do not keep constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Looks even better with regular fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: Trim this small shrub any way you like or let it grow
naturally and it will grow somewhat pointed at the top, roughly triangular,
which is an interesting natural shape. Left untrimmed it will get taller but
never large.
Rating: Rates high as a landscape plant.
Pictures: See the plant picture book in the appropriate section.

Esperanza (Tecoma stans) Plant Information

Esperanza (Tecoma stans)

Native Land: West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona
Sun/Shade: Prefers full sun
Flowers: Large yellow bell shaped flowers beginning with the heat of summer
and lasting through fall. An orange colored variety is also available. Looks best
during the middle of the summer heat. The yellow blooms longer than the
orange.
General Information: Esperanza means hope in Spanish. It lives up to its
name by providing the confident hope that we will enjoy its awesome color
each and every summer, even in the middle of our hottest Texas weather.
Landscape Use: Use as a background color plant or centerpiece. Can also be
used as a hedge for summer months.
Container Use: Can do well in containers with light potting soil, careful
watering and fertilization.
Size: By the end of summer can reach six feet tall and four feet wide.
Type: Flowering perennial that dies to the ground in winter but returns
faithfully by mid-April speeding up its growth with the summer heat.
Deer Resistance: Moderately Deer resistant. Have been complaints with Deer
eating the flowers.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with regular, careful
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow to
dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. A soaking rainfall
should last for about two weeks worth of watering. Do not keep constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Responds well to flower fertilizer or lawn fertilizer but will still
bloom without fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: Train into a tree-form for a neater look or sheer off the top
frequently, like a shrub, to create a summer shrub.
Rating: Rates high

Dynamite Red Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) Plant Information

Dynamite Red Crepe Myrtle

(Lagerstroemia indica)

Native Range: South and East Asia; Northern Australia
Sun/Shade: Prefers full sun
Flowers: Many colors to choose from Red, pink, white, lavender and variations
between, but Dynamite Red are awesome bright red and one of the latest and
greatest Crepe Myrtle varieties. Crepe Myrtles normally bloom in early summer
on new growth, but in springs with severe drought, they may not bloom until
fall brings cooler weather, rain and adequate growth. They normally provide
about a month of awesome color.
Landscape Use: Small ornamental trees commonly used as individual
specimens or in a row. Crepe Myrtles seem to look their best when they are not
crowded together but allowed to spread without growing into each other. Can
be one of the fastest ways to get privacy for the warmer months, but are
deciduous, not evergreen.
Container Use: Not recommended for pots since they put on roots so fast that
they quickly dry out, get stressed and do not bloom well. This problem also
makes finding a good looking nursery specimen more difficult, but once planted
in the ground, their appearance will improve drastically.
Size: 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
Type: Deciduous small ornamental tree or large bush.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with occasional
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow to
dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. Do not keep
constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Looks even better with regular fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: Cut last years blooms and stems back to about a pencil’s
width or take about 18” inches off. However, if you have trimmed your Crepe
Myrtle into a tree form, and you find that your leaf canopy and color is getting
so high that you cannot see it out your favorite window; you may want to take
more off. Severely topping off Crepe Myrtles does not hurt the tree, but will
hinder attractive limb development. Crepe Myrtles do shed some of their flower
pedals, which some people find annoying, especially around pools.

Creeping Rosemary (Rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’) Plant Information

Creeping Rosemary (Rosmarinus

‘Prostratus’)

Native Land: Mediterranean region
Sun/Shade: Prefers full sun; part shade OK
Flowers: Small light blue flowers mostly in winter and early spring. Is
grown most for its aromatic and attractive foliage; good also for cooking.
Landscape Use: Excellent plant for spilling over walls; good as a ground
cover.
Container Use: Great for spilling out of containers with taller plants in the
center. Can still look good even after missing a weekend of watering when
other plants in the same pot nearly die.
Size: Up to 1’foot tall but may fall down several feet especially when
trailing down from a wall
Type: Evergreen
Deer Resistance: One of the most deer- resistant plants known.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with occasional
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow
to dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. A soaking
rainfall should last for about two weeks worth of watering. Do not keep
constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Does even better with mild doses of fertilizer but grows just fine
without it.
Maintenance Tips: Cut back lightly when actively growing in the cooler
growing season to keep the plant from looking woody in its center. Do not
cut back severely during hot weather. Is much more dependable year after
year than its upright cousin.
Rating: Rates very high as a xeric plant trailing over walls.
Pictures: See the plant picture book in the appropriate section.

Copper Canyon Daisy (Tagetes lemmoni) Plant Information

Copper Canyon Daisy (Tagetes lemmoni)

Native Range: Southern Arizona and Mexico S
un/Shade: Prefers full sun; part shade OK
Flowers: Bright yellow-orange daisy like flowers from late October till hard
freezing weather. Blooms a much lesser amount in spring.
Landscape Use: Good as a background plant, shrub substitute during the
growing season, or excellent trailing over a wall. Is one of the few plants that
are awesome around Thanksgiving.
Container Use: Not thought of as a container plant but can do well with proper
watering, fertilization and trimming.
Size: 3 feet tall and 5’ feet wide within two years.
Type: Perennial that returns faithfully after freezing weather in spring.
Deer Resistance: Very deer resistant.
Hummingbirds/Butterflies: Butterflies love it.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with regular
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow to
dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. Easy Watering
Principle= Water every day the first week; every second day the second week;
every third day the third week; every fourth day the fourth week; every fifth day
the fifth week. A soaking rainfall should last for about two weeks worth of
watering. Do not keep constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Looks even better with regular fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: A common complaint is that the plant gets too large, so
make sure you have room for the 3x5 foot size since it will cover up smaller
plantings in its area. Keep the plant tidier and smaller by cutting it back often.
You can train it into a formal shape if you like. Stop trimming by the end of
September so that you will not interfere with its awesome late fall bloom. Keep
away from artificial lights such as porch lights and street lights, etc.
Rating: Rates high as a landscape plant.

Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) Plant Information

Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

Native Range: Central Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern USA.
Sun/Shade: Full sun or part-shade
General Information: Beautiful shade tree seldom used. Looks like a
Monterey Oak except its leaves have a serrated edge and are more
translucent allowing light to brighten up the dark green leaves. Loses its
leaves in winter after attractive fall foliage. Can be seen growing wild in
Lady Bird Johnson park near Fredericksburg.
Landscape Use: Use as a large shade tree. Does very well in our area. A
major San Antonio area grower stopped producing this tree, because they
did not sell as well as the Monterey Oak, which took the market by storm.
But the Chinkapin is just as beautiful as the Monterey Oak. Unfortunately
the general public is simply ignorant of this awesome tree or else they would
plant it much more, and growers would then grow it much more. This is also
true of many other native plants.
Size: Up to 80 feet tall by 50 feet wide.
Type: Deciduous shade tree with fall foliage.
Drought Tolerance: Very drought tolerant but looks best with occasional
watering.
Soil: Not particular about soil as long as it drains well and does not remain
constantly wet. Does well in rocky soil or even better with soil enhancement.
Water: Smart Watering Principle=Water well when first planted then allow
to dry slightly, without wilting, then water deeply again, etc. Do not keep
constantly wet.
Fertilizer: Looks even better with regular fertilization.
Maintenance Tips: Cut off lower limbs as you prefer.
Rating: Rates high as a landscape plant.
Pictures: See the plant picture book in the appropriate section.