Common Name

Scientific Name

Bloom Time

Height

Sun/Shade

Water Use

Drainage

Ornamental & Wildlife Value

Flame Acanthus

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

May to frost

2-4 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Good

Deciduous shrub with tubular red-orange flowers; attracts hummingbirds; re-seeds readily

Agarito

Berberis trifoliolata

Feb to April

3-6 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Excellent

Evergreen spiny-leaved shrub with extremely fragrant early flowers followed by edible red berries

Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

May to June

4-7 ft.

Part sun, Dappled shade

Moderate

Good

Deciduous, shade-tolerant open shrub with arching branches; showy magenta berries eaten by birds and small mammals

White Mistflower

Eupatorium wrightii

Sept to Oct

1-3 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low to Moderate

Good

Herbaceous shrub for flowerbed; fragrant white fall flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies

Elbowbush, Spring Herald

Forestiera pubescens

Feb

5-10 ft.

Full sun, Part sun, Dappled shade

Low

Good

Deciduous understory shrub with trailing branches; blue-black berries eaten by birds, small mammals

Red Yucca

Hesperaloe parviflora

May to Sept

2-3 ft.

Full sun

Low

Good

Evergreen accent plant with coral-red tubular flowers on long stalks; elegant leaves; attracts hummingbirds

Lantana

Lantana horrida (orange/gold); Lantana macropoda (pink/cream)

May to frost

3-6 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Good

Deciduous shrub; very showy in heat of summer; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies; birds eat berries; many cultivars; fairly deer resistant

Cenizo, Texas Silver Sage

Leucophyllum frutescens

Summer after rains

4-8 ft

Full sun

Low

Excellent

Silver-leaved evergreen shrub with lilac-pink blooms; many cultivars in smaller sizes and flower colors

White Bush Honeysuckle

Lonicera albiflora

April to May

3-6 ft.

Full sun, Part sun, Dappled shade

Low to Moderate

Good

Semi-evergreen shrub that is bushy in sun; may twine into trees if shaded; white flowers followed by bright red berries that are eaten by birds

Turk's Cap

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii

May to frost

3-5 ft.

Part sun, Dappled shade

Moderate

Poor to Good

Loose herbaceous shrub with unusual red flowers; colonizes; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies; fruits eaten by birds and small mammals

Basket Grass, Sacahuista

Nolina texana

May or June

1-3 ft.

Full sun, Part sun, Dappled shade

Low

Excellent

Evergreen accent plant that can be used under trees or on dry slopes; small white flowers; related to yucca

Texas Rock Rose, Rose Mallow

Pavonia lasiopetala

May to frost

3-4 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Good

Semi-evergreen shrub with pink hibiscus flowers; re-seeds; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies

Aromatic Sumac

Rhus aromatica

Feb to March

4-6 ft

Full sun, Part sun, Dappled shade

Low

Good

Colonizing deciduous shrub; blooms on bare wood; fall color; red fruits eaten by birds, small mammals, deer

Autumn Sage

Salvia greggii

April to frost

2-4 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Excellent

Tough, beautiful semi-evergreen shrub with aromatic leaves and prolific blooms; attracts hummingbirds; many cultivars and flower colors

Royal Sage, Mountain Sage

Salvia regla

Sept to frost

3-5 ft.

Part sun

Low

Good

Deciduous shrub with showy scarlet flowers in the fall; glossy, heart-shaped leaves; attracts hummingbirds

Coralberry, Indian Currant

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

June to Aug

2-4 ft.

Part sun, Dappled shade

Low to Moderate

Poor to Good

Almost evergreen thicket-forming shrub; fall/winter clusters of purple berries eaten by birds

Yellow Bells, Esperanza

Tecoma stans var. angustata

June to frost

3-6 ft.

Full sun

Low

Good

Very showy deciduous shrub from West Texas; freezes to the ground each winter; large tubular yellow flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds and bees

Skeleton-leaf Goldeneye

Viguiera stenoloba

May to frost

2-3 ft.

Full sun

Low

Excellent

Long-blooming evergreen shrub daisy with deep yellow flowers; slender, grooved leaves; drought-tolerant

Yucca

Yucca rupicola, Y. pallida, Y. angustifolia

April to June

1-2 ft.

Full sun, Part sun

Low

Good

Small accent plant with blue-green leaves and attractive, fragrant, waxy white flowers on stalks