Articles by Leaf

Showy, Tough, Monarch-Ready, and an Official Texas Superstar®! Mexican Bush Sage is one of those plants that looks spectacular but demands little in return. Adapted to Texas, it’s a long-blooming perennial that’s become a Texas garden favorite. From late summer...

Stately Strength  -  Lasting Legacy: The Enduring Appeal of Oaks Oaks hold Texas woodlands together—keystone giants that give life to the land. Their generous canopies shade and shelter birds, mammals, and native butterflies, while acorns keep wildlife well-fed year...

Yucca rostrata – Nature’s Desert Crown; Perfect for Austin! Yucca rostrata, often called Beaked Yucca, really is a superstar of the desert landscape! Its striking form — a tall, sculptural trunk topped with a dense sphere of narrow, bluish leaves — makes it one of the...

Bold Form  -  Native Grit  -  Timeless Presence Few plants shape a space like Opuntia. Sculptural pads, vibrant seasonal blooms, and unwavering toughness, bring structure and unmistakable Texas character to Austin landscapes. Upright and architectural or low and...

Texas Tough Meets Timeless Grace Muhly grasses are celebrated for fine texture, low water needs combined with high sun tolerances, and dramatic fall blooms. Perfectly suited to Austin’s climate, these ornamental natives and adaptive selections bring four-season...

Evergreen Grace: Southern Magnolias Shine Year-Round With glossy green leaves, fragrant white blooms, and timeless structure, Evergreen Magnolias bring classic Southern charm to Austin landscapes. These majestic trees offer four-season beauty, with deep green foliage...

Garden Glory: Beautiful Yellow Bells Stand Up to Austin Heat! Bursting with flowers in tropical colors and pollinator power to your garden; Yellow Bells are known for their trumpet-shaped blooms and fast-growing nature. Standout choices for warm climate landscapes,...

Heat-Proof Elegance: Crepe Myrtles Light Up Austin Gardens Crepe Myrtles are the Crown Jewels of Texas summers — exploding with long-lasting blooms in shades of pink, white, red, and purple just when the heat hits hardest. Beloved for their peeling bark, sculptural...

Airy Grace, Desert Place: The Allure of Desert Willows With a delicate look, orchid-like blooms and a graceful, airy form, Desert Willow brings a touch of desert elegance to the landscape. Native to West Texas and the Southwest, these waterwise trees thrive in heat...

False Yucca - Hesperaloe: Tough Beauty with a Hummingbird Twist! A heat- and drought-tolerant family of perennials ideal for Austin. Arching, grass-like foliage and tall flower spikes bloom from late spring through summer. Tubular flowers—typically red, coral, pink,...

Vibrant Drought-Tolerant Bottlebrush for Austin Landscapes Bottlebrush: heat-loving, evergreen shrubs or small trees known for striking red, cylindrical flower spikes resembling a bottlebrush. Blooming most heavily in spring and intermittently summer and fall; these...

Texas Sage – A Valuable Texas Native Clocks display time of day, computers show time and date. Watches notify of those and steps taken. But a plant that forecasts the weather?  Yep! It’s called Texas Sage or the “Barometer Bush!”  Yet another is Texas...

Charismatic, Cheerful Caladiums! Caladiums, with a huge array of leaf colors, are great fillers for the landscape, equally at home and useful in beds, containers, and hanging baskets, especially as these can be maintained as somewhat acidic, moist but well drained...

Salvia, common name Sage, can be an annual or perennial. It has many forms, flower colors and animates any Austin Garden. Enough to excite all the butterflies, pollinators, and hummingbirds for miles around! Fun to Know:  Texas has 22 types of Salvia that are native!...

Oh, Lantana, Let Us Lean into the Ways We Love Our Lovely Lantana (Sorry, not sorry, for all the L’s!) Sun loving and drought tolerant Lantanas (part of the Verbena family) are truly remarkable. In 2020, when it was named “Plant of the Year” by the National Garden...