Native Plant Landscaping in my August Garden Zone 8B

12 Drought tolerant landscape Texas native perennials rated for zones 6-9. All images(except for last three at end of video) were filmed in August 2023 so you can get a good expectation of how these plants look at the end of a texas summer.
Zexmenia-compact shrub with yellow flowers. Flowers through summer.
Wrights skullcap-great evergreen border option. Flowers spring through summer. Also comes in a pink color.
Skull
Texas Lantana-yellow-orange flowers spring through fall. Parts of it are toxic.
Flame acanthus-flowers summer through fall. Primarily you will see the red flowering varieties, this is an orange variety.
Gulf Muhly-perennial grass. Flowers in October.
Autumn sage-evergreen shrub that flowers spring through fall.
Mealy Blue sage-perennial herb that flowers spring through fall.
Esperanza(Tecoma stans )-shrub that flowers spring through fall.
Crossvine( Bignonia capreolata) -evergreen self clinging vine that flowers primarily in spring.
Turks cap-versatile shrub that can grow in full sun to shade. Though won’t flower as much in shade.
Gregg’s mistflower-butterfly magnet! Flowers spring through fall.
Gaura(Oenothera)- perennial herb that flowers spring through fall.

[@urbanharvestdfw]

Yup same here I'm on that bus

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Solidarity my friend! Hang in there.🙌

[@simonbarrow479]

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m in southern France which has been similar in climate to you although a bit cooler. We have a ban on watering gardens so I’m looking for plants that need no watering. No watering is the way forward in these times of climate change as we need all we can get for living.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

First of all, I’m so excited to see a fellow gardener reach out from across the Atlantic! I’m glad you found the video helpful and appreciate your comment. Before now, I had not considered that France and Texas would share similar climates. Makes the world seem just a little smaller 😊 I completely understand the importance of drought tolerant plants and have found Texas natives very resilient. That being said, I still had to water most of these once a week. As a novice gardener I’m just beginning to understand the importance of using native plants. They typically require less external resources as they are so well adapted to the area they’re local to. Do you have access to native plant societies or master gardeners that offer classes? We have them here and they’ve been so helpful. Happy gardening my friend!

[@JosTXGarden]

Excellent recommendations! Your garden looks so great! Those natives are beating the heat. I’m growing scullcap this year for the first time and I’m loving it! Mine is pink, but I’m REALLY loving your purple ones. Hang in there, all you Austin gardeners! ☀️ 🥵

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Appreciate you! I definitely want to add more skullcap next planting season. I plan on some of the pink variety. After watching your video I think I really want to also add gomphrena. Any particular type you’d recommend? I’ve heard firecracker is a perennial and gets pretty tall.

[@mustanghill1259]

I'm so thrilled to find your inspiring channel. I'm in Bulverde (Comal Co.) and we are suffering here as well. In addition to the death star heat and absolutely no rain we have deer pressure. I've planted only xeric native plants in my garden. Most are struggling in the intense heat/water restrictions but the Salvia Greggi is a workhorse. Also, our Vitex bushes/trees and Silverado Sage are doing well. Thank you for your content.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Welcome and I’m glad you’re enjoying the content! Solidarity on the Death Star heat😝 I’m not sure how anyone grew anything in Texas before some of our modern amenities. I’m fairly new to native landscaping but I can see a huge difference from when I was just picking random plants based on sun exposure needs alone. Thanks to the recent rain and slight reprieve in temps my autumn sage are really showing out with lots of flowers. Are you planning a fall planting?

[@davidwhitley5311]

It looks like quite a bit has survived..

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Mostly, but lost a few plants I was really excited about. This summer has definitely helped reinforce what’s really Texas tough!

[@bg6620]

Thanks for the info, Natalie! I've seen Turk's Cap in my neighborhood and wondered what it was. We lost quit a bit of shade due to neighboring trees coming down after the February ice storm. My normally shady beds are now mostly sun, so I've had a big learning curve this summer. My Pride of Barbados is looking great, though!

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

I’m so glad it was a help! Pride of Barbados really seems to be thriving in this heat wherever I see it. I actually started some pride of Barbados seeds for a potential fall planting. I hope they make it😊

[@MrsQueen]

Water restriction 😮

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Yes ma’am can only water twice a week😭

[@FragileCrab]

When did you plant those zexmenia? I’m surprised to see anything planted in Austin in the last year is still alive.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

I believe I planted this early June! I have found my natives do so much better when I amend the soil for quick drainage. I have a big fall installation coming up and I’m adding expanded shale to each hole I dig. The drainage game must be strong for these natives to give you their best. That being said, I have had lots of things not make it through. Have you found any tried and true texas summer survivors? Will you plant anything this fall? Hang in there!

[@TheLivingBackyard]

106 here, for days and days. Right now ZI would not complain if we get another Siberian express hahahahahah

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Solidarity my friend! It’s been difficult to stay motivated with so many things dying or going dormant. The cooler mornings give me hope that lower temperatures will be here soon🙏

[@TheLivingBackyard]

@@theplantninja-texasgardener tomorrow I'll wash the car again, in the hopes that it will bring rain! :D

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

@@TheLivingBackyard 🤣

[@MissPiggyLilly]

San Antonio 🤠 8B My esperanza has gone to seed! 😢 And turks cap shrubs are very droopy

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Oh no! What’s growing well for you currently?

[@MissPiggyLilly]

@@theplantninja-texasgardener bougainvillea is starting to bloom. Vincas are beautiful. Neither are native tho 😟

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

@@MissPiggyLilly you know as much as I love natives, I feel a nonnative that’s well adapted but not invasive is a great option too💗

[@lionelreesable]

Hello, I just stumbled upon your channel. Thank you for the informative videos. I retired a couple of years ago and bought a very old house as a renovation project. The property was not maintained for about 20 years. I have been trying to clean and beautify the property while renovating the house. I am seeking landscaping advice. Can you recommend perennial to grow in my zone 7B area? I live in a more rural area where gardening is done for food and not beautification. I was surprised to learn that there are no local landscaping experts in my area. There are some in the big cities. Do you know of any online landscaping resources, or gardening clubs I can use for a little help? My neighbor told me of the local University extension but they are geared up to work with cattle and big farms. Can you suggest a computer program for the property layout? BTW, I live in the Oklahoma area. Again. Thank you and best wishes.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Greetings! Appreciate the compliment. It sounds like you have a wonderful project ahead of you. Here’s a helpful resource for Oklahoma: extension.okstate.edu/county/oklahoma/master-gardener/2023homegardening101fillable.pdf Linda Vater is in Oklahoma and a great source of gardening inspiration: youtube.com/@LindaVater?si=yN3lwtmMZz0DELHE Consider Reddit(social media platform)and looking up gardening subreddits for your area. Unfortunately I’m not knowledgeable about great plant options in your area but I encourage you to pursue native plants. They’ll offer you more chance for success using fewer resources and be better at supporting your local ecosystem. Best wishes!

[@lionelreesable]

@theplantninja-texasgardener Thank you for your prompt reply. I will start my research per your recommendations. I moved to OK from Canada and had culture shock and found our that I was totally ignorant of the plants in my area. Again, thank you, I am grateful.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

@@lionelreesable you’re most welcome! I didn’t realize I gave you a link to a past master gardener event above. I found this link that looks really helpful : extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/oklahoma-proven-plant-selections-for-oklahoma.html

[@lionelreesable]

Thank you.@@theplantninja-texasgardener

[@maximusgreat8433]

Very helpful…going to bookmark this one.

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Always good to see you on the thread Maximus! Appreciate the support and the feedback☺️

[@MilesSherry]

Just discovered your channel and subscribed. You’re in my area and your content is really helpful. I’m enjoying binge watching 🍿

[@theplantninja-texasgardener]

Welcome to the channel my new garden friend! I’m excited you’re here and grateful to know the content is helpful. I welcome your input as a local gardener, so feel free to comment as you see fit. Thanks again for dropping a nice bit of encouragement 🙌🌻🏡🪴

[@MilesSherry]

@@theplantninja-texasgardener I’m pleased to be here. I’ll be watching and commenting. Keep the beauty coming!