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Heat Tolerant Plants for Texas Landscapes
When selecting plants for installing in landscapes and garden beds, you should consider choosing varieties that are drought & heat tolerant and adapted to your region of Texas.
It’s always a good idea to choose plants that are right for your style, space and sun exposure, however; finding plants that are heat & drought tolerant is important as well. Choosing heat tolerant plants that are familiar with the soil and water conditions in your area is especially important if you choose to landscape during the summertime.
To help assist with proper plant selection, we’ve listed 5 of our favorite heat tolerant plants for Texas landscapes in this article.
Desert Willow
The Desert Willow tree is native to Texas and a great option to consider when choosing plants for your landscaping plan.
This deciduous tree can reach a mature height of 30 foot and a spread of 25 feet. The branching structure is very open, not necessarily planted for privacy. Throughout the summer months, the Desert Willow will grow orchid-like blooms in lavender, pink or white.
Red Yucca
While not a true yucca, the Red Yucca can be classified as a shrub or a perennials in North Texas where it doesn’t experience any foliage drop in the winter time.
Like other yuccas, the Red Yucca is extremely drought tolerant. It grows slender, blue-green foliage and sprouts an enormous reddish-pink flower. The subtle red blooms compliment the colors of most common North Dallas summer annual flowers. At maturity, the Red Yucca grows to 3 foot in height and spreads to almost 5 feet.
Salvia
Salvia is actually the largest genus of plants belonging to the mint family. Most varieties of Salvia are native to hot and dry climates where they are grown as perennials.
These drought-tolerant plants are a great idea for landscaping front yard flower beds as their blooming cycles tend to last for between 4-6 months in our area. One of the most common varieties of Salvia planted in North Texas is the “Victoria Blue” which offers lavender like blooms. Most Salvias will grow between 1.5-3 foot tall and spread up to 2 feet wide.
Mexican Feather Grass
Planting ornamental grasses like the Mexican Feather Grass are a great way to bring movement and dimension to your landscape.
The Mexican Feather Grass is a perennial grass which will die back in the winter time and reemerge with other spring blooming plants. While not a flowering plant, this native grass is extremely fine-textured and will sway gracefully with even the slightest breeze.
Mexican Feather Grass should be planted in groupings as it seeds and can spread. It grows to 1.5 ft tall and spans only 10 inches wide.
Lantana
Falling into both the perennial and annual category, Lantana loves the heat and can survive long periods of time without water. During a mild winter, it’s not uncommon to see Lantana flowers survive. However, we don’t consider it a North Texas winter plant because a hard freeze will likely devastate the Lantana.
For planning purposes, we recommend planting all Lantana as an annual. Lantana will bloom in a variety of colors all the way from late spring to the fall. They are considered to be a shrub like plant and can grow between 8-36 inches tall and spread out to 24 inches wide.
The next time you find yourself designing a landscape or looking for a new plant, consider these 5 heat tolerant plants for your Texas landscape.