Wildscaping

Restoring Native Plant Habitat at Home

Article and photos by KRISTIN PARMA

Texas continues to grow, fragmenting land into smaller parcels and dividing biodiverse landscapes critical to wildlife and habitat conservation. Wildscaping, deliberately incorporating native plants into urban, suburban or rural landscapes, is an effective means of combatting the effects of habitat fragmentation.

“It’s critical that all Texans consider where they can do their part to restore native plant habitat,” said Meg Inglis, executive director of the Native Plant Society of Texas. “The more people who have that in their neighborhoods, the more they create a connection, a wildlife corridor. An option for wildlife to use their neighborhood as opposed to not being able to use it because everything is non-native. It creates this little park by joining together all these yards and creating a larger piece of property.”

Still, because of its size and geography, Texas remains one of the most biologically diverse states in the country, offering a variety of natural eco-regions.

Espanranza, Tecoma stans

Photo by Kristin Parma

An important part of wildscaping is to use pollinator plants. This is Gregg’s mistflower, which this Queen butterfly appreciates.

Photo by Kristin Parma

Like Texans, native plants are resilient and have adapted to the land over time, allowing them to thrive in our environment. Native grasses and plants have deeper root systems and in addition to reducing harmful pollutants, they generally require little maintenance including far less water because they are adapted to area rainfall patterns. Native plants also provide protective shelter and food sources for wildlife and pollinators such as the iconic Monarch butterfly.

The traditional grass lawn and manicured beds that define many residential landscapes are thick with exotic and ornamental plants and grasses from other countries, which interrupt the order of the natural habitat.

“With a manicured type approach you are always battling nature and that’s not how nature works,” said George Cates, restoration specialist for Native American Seed Company in Junction. "There are many benefits to getting in sync with nature versus trying to fight it.” In addition, these landscapes often require large amounts of artificial fertilizers and synthetic additives.

Small scale or large, designing, installing and maintaining a native plant landscape, or wildscape as it's often referred to, can seem like a daunting task. It doesn't have to be.

Crepe myrtle is a non-native often mistaken as native. In your wildscaping plans, consider desert rose or Texas mountain laurel. As with all wildscaping, consider your water use. Water is the most precious Texas resource and should be used wisely.

Photo by Kristin Parma

RAINWATER HARVESTING (RWH) SYSTEMS A Flood of Technology

Rainwater harvesting is one way to make the most of every raindrop that falls from the sky and give native plants a natural drink.

Rainwater harvesting is collecting the run-off from a structure or other surface to store for later use. Rainwater harvesting systems (RWH) can be as simple as collecting rain in a plastic food-grade drum or more elaborate such as large cisterns capable of supplying an entire landscape or household.

Many factors will determine how much rainwater you need to supply your landscape. Texas A&M AgriLife horticulturists recommend purchasing a soil moisture meter to help determine when your plants need water.

Some considerations while planning a rainwater harvesting strategy for your household include: 1. Find a location for your rain barrel. Look for areas where rain naturally flows off a roof. This could be your house, barn, shop, greenhouse or shed. 2.Consider modifying an existing gutter and downspout to reroute rainwater to your barrel. 3. No gutter? Flat planes with sharp inclines can be good places to catch rainwater runoff. 4.Make or purchase your rain barrel using food-grade containers, avoid barrels that once held petroleum or soap to help keep harvested water clean.

For more information about rainwater harvesting, visit www.agrilifetoday.tamu.edu

Prairie aster, Marchaeranthera tanacetifolia

Photo by Kristin Parma

In the foreground is Texas mountain laurel, a great choice for a brush-like native plant. To the left is nandina. It is not native and is problematic because it is invasive and can choke out out native plants that support wildlife and the berries are toxic to birds and pets.

Photo by Kristin Parma

Red yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora

Photo by Kristin Parma

TOP NATIVE PLANTS TO CONSIDER Weldon Riggs, County Extension Agent-Agriculture (Retired)

Texas mountain laurel: A slow-growing evergreen that is a beautiful bloomer, making it great for pollinators and adding color to your landscape. It may be grown as a medium to large shrub or trained into a single trunk tree. Noteworthy, both the seeds and the flowers are poisonous. Though difficult to transplant, they are widely available at local nurseries. Once established, Texas mountain laurel never needs irrigation making it a must have for absentee landowners or those wishing for less upkeep.

Texas lantana: Beautiful bright multi-colored flowers accompany the Texas lantana which thrives in the full summer sun and heat, requiring little water once established. Its tube flowers are not only beautiful but provide an excellent source of food for many nectaring butterflies.

Native milkweed: Texas is home to 37 species of native milkweed plants. In addition to being colorful bloomers, planting native milkweed provides nectar for Monarch butterflies during their migration. Visit The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at wildflower.org for more information on the best milkweeds to plant in your area.

Native cacti: While most folks can recognize a prickly pear cactus, Texas is full of other native cacti that can provide unique and beautiful additions to your landscape. Most Texas cacti do well in all of the state's eco-regions. However, they prefer hot, barren, gravelly soil with good drainage. Some native cacti for consideration are pineapple cactus, horse crippler cactus, claret cup cactus and twisted rib cactus.

Salvias: Salvias or sages as they are often referred to, are perennial flowers that come in a variety of colors and bloom in spring, summer and fall. They tolerate poor soil and require very minimal irrigation. In addition they are often deer resistant meaning deer tend to avoid them as a midnight snack.

Agarita: An evergreen holly-like shrub that is highly drought tolerant and often removed by home builders. In fact, its small red berries grow in clusters and are edible, making great jelly. Note that wildlife find them tasty too as the agarita produces important food for turkeys, quail, songbirds and small mammals. The agarita is the first to bloom for pollinators in the summer and is overlooked as a native plant.

For a full list of native landscape plants based on your location visit: Plant lists by region – Native Plant Society of Texas (npsot.org)

Prairie aster is a beautiful bright lavender flower that grows well with other wildflowers making it a colorful choice for pastures, meadows, gardens and landscape borders.

Photo by Kristin Parma

Three tips for beginners: Use your resources. Start small. And plan your water source.

The most important step in developing a wildscape plan is learning about the native plants and soils that characterize your property and eco-region. An organization that offers a multitude of resources for planning and installing your native wildscape is the Native Plant Society of Texas. Made up of 37 chapters around the state, its mission is promoting research, conservation and utilization of native plants and plant habitats of Texas through education, outreach and example.

The society offers a unique four-level class as part of its Native Landscape Certification Program. Tailored to specific eco-regions around Texas, the Native Landscape Certification Program teaches its participants to appreciate the benefits of native landscapes, recognize important considerations when designing native landscapes, and become familiar with maintenance requirements of a native landscape.

Once you've done your homework, it's time to get started. When it comes to wildscaping, bigger isn't always better.

“Start small and experience success," Cates said. "Read the land. Everybody’s property is different, stop and pay attention to what the landscape is telling you."

Is it under the shade of an oak tree? Is it covered in Bermuda grass? Is it located on an upper slope? "Native plants need room to grow and there are better plants suited for different environments,” he said.

Small changes in your landscape can result in significant improvement in wildlife habitat. Keeping your plans simple means less work to maintain in the long run, especially if you are an absentee landowner.

Plan your water source ahead of time, and consider doing your best to conserve Texas’ most precious resource. “You don’t really realize how much water you need to keep your landscape alive,” Inglis said. “Anywhere from 40 percent to 60 percent of your typical household water usage can be on the landscape. Native plants are naturally adapted to the rainfall of the area once they are established.”

Automatic sprinklers and soaker hoses may seem like the easy route; however, consider adding a rainwater harvesting system to your future wildscaping plans. Native plant experts say that you won’t regret it.

“There’s this relationship between native plants and insects that’s critical,” Inglis said. “Native plants have evolved with insects over thousands of years and if you wipe out a native plant that an insect depends on, you wipe out the insect. The more insects you wipe out the more likely it is you’re going to be wiping out the rest of the food web, too.”

So do a bit of homework and yard work. Then sit back and enjoy the bees buzzing and the sound of hummingbirds whizzing by while you enjoy the beauty of your new native “wildscape” habitat.