Read This: The Texas Native Plant Primer

A new book about Texas native plants is one of the best I’ve read: The Texas Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden.… Read More

The post Read This: The Texas Native Plant Primer appeared first on Digging.

Texans love native plants. Our state flower is the beloved bluebonnet, a Texas native wildflower. Our official state botanic garden is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, planted exclusively with native species from across Texas. Many of our independent nurseries — like Green Sleeves in Pflugerville, Pollinatives in San Antonio, and Buchanan’s in Houston — devote themselves largely or fully to selling Texas native plants. And gardeners, especially in the hotter and drier parts of the state, often seek out natives for their yards.

After all, it just makes good sense. Plants from here evolved to survive the Death Star of our summer sun, and they can bounce back from extremes of drought or cold where nonnatives may give up the ghost. I’m no purist and also grow nonnatives that are Texas tough. There’s not a thing wrong with mixing it up. But natives have a special place in my heart. I learned to love them as a baby gardener through repeated visits to the Wildflower Center, where I was inspired by Lady Bird Johnson’s vision for keeping Texas looking like Texas, not Anyplace, USA. (And the same for all the other states.)

When I was a new gardener, I pored over books about Texas native plants by early proponents like Jill Nokes and Sally Wasowski. I’ve found other worthy native plant guides since then (see my book reviews page, select “List View,” and search for “Texas”). But I’m happy to say, a new book about Texas native plants is out, and it’s one of the best I’ve read: The Texas Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden by Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which shares co-authorship with her.

I’ve long known that Andrea is a knowledgeable horticulturist and talented