Native Plant Week in Texas

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Updated: 2 hours ago

October 18–24

And a Tribute to Lady Bird Johnson

A vibrant monarch butterfly gracefully lands on a cluster of bright yellow flowers, showcasing a moment of natural beauty.

Hello Garden Family,

This is native plant week in Texas, and it's the ideal time to plant natives. Planting in the fall gives the plants time to strengthen their roots and store their energy so they can thrive in the warmer weather of spring and summer. I grow a lot of different plants, some non-natives for seasonal color, but my favorites are native plants. I have over 50 species in my garden. The plant photos below are from my garden, unless otherwise indicated.

Benefits of Native Plants

● Drought tolerant – native plants not only save water but because many of them have deep roots, they bring the water down into the earth and help stabilize run off, flooding, and they protect the soil.

Red yucca (hesperaloe parviflora)-a drought tolerant Texas native plant

● Minimal care – once native plants are established, there is little maintenance. My Esperanza had survived 20 years with minimal care.

"Esperanza rings golden bells of hope and joy throughout the garden." - Lana Ann

● Offer food and shelter to wildlife – think of the native plants as homes for all kinds of birds, insects and animals.

This bunny finds a hidey hole in the autumn sage (salvia greggii)

● Native plants support pollinators – Many crops rely on pollination, and some insects need specific plants to survive. Native plants such as passion vine become butterfly condos for the gulf coast fritillary butterflies.

Passiflora incarnata growing on my fence and the gulf coast fritillary caterpillars feeding on the leaves

Why Do I Grow Native Plants?

swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from the coneflowers ( echinacea purpurea)

In addition to all the benefits of growing native plants I mentioned above, I grow native plants for personal reasons as well.

I fell in love with the environment in Austin when I was a student at the University of Texas. I not only loved the people, music, food, and overall "vibe" of the city, I loved the terrain as well. There were plants here I had never seen before.

Grape scented clusters of mountain laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) blooms in early spring

Gulf coast fritillary on lantana ( Lantana urticoides)

The more I learned about the native plants, I appreciated what they represented. These were the plants that have supported wildlife and sustained the indigenous tribes of the Americas for thousands of years. These were the plants that witnessed the magnificence of the buffalo herds and the very history of our country.

My rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala) wakes up in fall with beautiful pink flowers

These plants are story tellers and link us to the history of our country. They deserve to be respected and preserved, and their stories told. They are true survivalists. Their rugged beauty speaks to the wildness of their spirit and the sanctity of life they hold in their very roots.

"The wild places are where we began. When they end, so do we."

— Lady Bird Johnson

Fall Asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

Lady Bird Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum photo by Frank Wolfe, D9081-6

Mrs. Johnson's humanity, compassion, and dedication to the welfare of the people of this nation and to the beautification of the land was remarkable.

Mrs. Johnson was instrumental in many of the over 200 environmental laws passed during the Johnson Administration. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson presented a plaque to his wife that read:

red admiral butterfly on coreopsis, coneflower and blanket flower

Mrs. Johnson actively supported the passage of the 1965 Highway Beautification Act, which regulated advertising and junk yard views along our highways. There were funds for landscaping, and recreational areas that did not exist before the bill passed.

After she left the White House, Mrs. Johnson worked to expand the trails and beautify the river running through downtown Austin, now affectionately named Lady Bird Lake.

Story of the Wildflower Center

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas - photo from website: wildflower.org

In 1982, on her 70th birthday, Mrs. Johnson, with her friend Helen Hayes, founded the National Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Texas. It was later renamed as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and today spans 284 acres with over 1000 species of Texas native plants. As a golden girl launching a new business myself, I admire her tenacity to forge ahead on a new and novel project at 70!

The Wildflower Center is the Botanic Garden of Texas. It has educated and inspired adults and children through its classes and programs on sustainable landscaping and land restoration. The Center's Native Plants of North America, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/, is the most comprehensive online native plant database search available, where information on native plants and their care from all regions in the U.S. can be found.

Photo from my visit to the Center- Agave and mexican feather grass

More information on the Lady Bird Johnson Center: www.wildflower.org

their database has details on all U.S. native plants

To read more information on this remarkable woman: www.ladybirdjohnson.org

**"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." - Lady Bird Johnson**

I am very thankful for Lady Bird Johnson, and the Wildflower Center she founded.

As a new native plant gardener, I took many classes there to learn about how to select and care for native plants. My life has been immeasurably enriched through her kindness and generosity in establishing the Wildflower Center.