Choosing the Right Plants
by Bonnie Landon, Collin County Master Gardener
As spring planting time approaches and the recent winter storm of 2021 fades into memory, you may be wondering what plants to choose to replace those you may have lost or to enhance your existing North Texas landscape. Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas has put together a “Top 100 Plants for North Texas” list that should help you make informed decisions.
This list of 100 favorite native and adapted plants for our area includes:
- Shade Trees
- Ornamental Trees
- Turfgrass
- Palms
- Yucca/Cacti
- Perennials
- Groundcovers
- Ferns
- Vines
- Ornamental Grasses
- Shrubs
The list gives the common and botanical names of each plant as well as water requirements, light requirements, mature plant size, bloom time, bloom color, growth habit and more. If you are wondering what combination of plants work well together, you’ll find that listed as well. Click here for a PDF of the list to download.
If you are planning a spring vegetable garden, Aggie Horticulture has an online Vegetable Variety Selector that allows you to search the database by your county or region for a list of varieties suited to your area. You can then choose a single vegetable and generate a list of varieties to choose from. You can also click on “All Vegetable Varieties” to generate a list of recommended vegetable varieties for your area and download that list as a PDF. You can find the Vegetable Variety Selector at: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/veg_variety/
No matter what you are planting, remember to choose the right plant for the right place and plant it at the right time of year for the best chance of success. Our website has many resources to help you including a Monthly Garden Checklist, FAQ page and our Gardening Information Center.
Happy Gardening!
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Collin County Master Gardeners Association
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