Native Plants for Hill Country Gardens

Every season, Hill Country homeowners invest thousands in landscaping, only to watch plants wither in Texas heat or freeze during unexpected cold snaps. It's expensive and frustrating - but there's a better way.

Native plants take time to establish, but that's exactly what makes them worth it!

Unlike traditional ornamentals that need to be replaced every season, native Hill Country plants spend their first three to five years building deep root systems instead of putting on a big show. That investment in time pays off: once established, these plants can handle Edwards Plateau drought, flash floods, and hard freezes without missing a beat. You're not replanting after every extreme weather swing - you're building a landscape that gets stronger every year.

Four native plants to plant this Fall:

• Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) This tough grass will survive the browsing deer and give you a show in the Fall with its cloud of pink-purple plumes in the Fall. Thrives in well-draining soil and full sun.

• Lindheimer Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri) A Hill Country Native with silvery seed heads and a more upright form than it's cousin Gulf Muhly. Use this in large masses to bring the birds to your yard all winter long.

• Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) All throughout the Fall this plant has tiny purple -blue blooms right as the Monarchs are making their way South for Winter.

• Shrubby Boneset (Ageratina havanensis) Another Fall bloomer that feeds the Monarch's with wispy bunches of white flowers. Plant this near a rock wall and allow the branches to fall over for a true romance story setting in your landscape.