If you’re looking for the best shrubs for east Texas, then you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking for shrubs that will grow well in our climate, consider Red Yucca, Arizona cypress, Cenizo, Podocarpus macrophylla, and others. Read on to learn more about these amazing trees and shrubs. These plants are sure to add color to your yard.
Red Yucca
Known as the “century plant,” the Red Yucca is a native of the deserts of northeastern Mexico and Texas. This drought-tolerant plant likes full sun and well-drained soil. Its unique foliage attracts hummingbirds and is great in rock gardens, containers, and landscapes. Its downsides include susceptibility to deer browsing, aphids, and fungal root rots.
The most common Red Yucca plant is the Adam’s Needle variety, which has sword-shaped foliage and a long blooming season. The foliage is gray-green with a few short curly filaments. The flowering stem of this yucca is a 5 ft. high cluster of creamy-white flowers. This shrub is hardy in USDA zones 5-10.
It’s perfect for poor soils and xeriscapes, with its red-pink flower stalks in the summer. However, Red Yucca is invasive in a couple of seasons, so plant it only where you want accent plantings. The Red Yucca Straight Up variety, however, produces striking, summer-long displays of red-pink flowers. It’s an excellent choice for a xeriscape or rock garden.
The native habitat of Red Yucca is the high desert grasslands of the southern United States. It is also hardy in Zones 8 and above. Despite being native to the desert, it’s cold-hardy in the region, and it can even survive periods of drought. In fact, it does quite well in a wide range of conditions. You might want to plant it in a sunny spot where the sun shines.
Arizona cypress
This drought-tolerant evergreen tree is native to the southwestern United States. It has a silvery foliage and a conical shape. Arizona cypress grows from thirty to forty feet (12 to fifteen meters) tall and ten to fifteen feet wide. The plant requires full sun and deep watering. It can live up to 700 years. This plant can grow in a wide range of soil types and climates.
This medium-sized, evergreen shrub has small, soft silver-gray leaves and bell-shaped, purple-black or white flowers. Its foliage is gray to blue-green and will need occasional watering. Its mature height is 40-60 feet. It will grow with little trouble and is a good choice for homes in east Texas. It will grow in a small yard.
This fast-growing tree requires little maintenance and grows in a range of soil conditions. It needs about six hours of direct sunlight per day to grow to its full potential. It also tolerates partial shade. It grows quickly and can thrive in Zones 6-8. A large Arizona cypress will grow quickly in a garden, and is an excellent choice for a privacy screen.
A shrub that thrives in sunny, semi-shady conditions, this Arizona cypress will be a great addition to your garden. This drought-tolerant shrub is a good addition to any yard. Its trumpet-shaped, bright yellow flowers are quite attractive. You can use yellow bells as a hedge in your garden or as a hedge. Just make sure you remove spent flowers before they fall on the ground.
Podocarpus macrophylla
Podocarpus macrophylla is a great plant for shade, container planting, and as an espalier. They grow slowly and will eventually form an upright tree. Shrubs from this species have sparse branches and striking blue-gray foliage. If you’re planting one in the shady part of your yard, you may want to prune it more often. Podocarpus tolerates acidic soil, little direct sunlight, and cool temperatures. They grow slow and require frequent pruning to maintain the shape they are used to.
When growing podocarpus, prune it only when it produces new active growth. Pinching can stimulate budding, but it’s better to shape them with a wire than try to force them. Keep your pruning as sparing as possible, though. If you do want to root-prune your plants, be sure to trim at least one-eighth of the root mass every two or three years.
Another plant to consider is the Podocarpus Upright Yew, or Buddhist pine. This shrub has narrow, dark green leaves that provide a unique texture to a landscape. They can reach twenty feet and are ten feet wide, but they respond well to pruning. They are good choices for narrow spaces and screen hedges. The Japanese maple is native to Asia, so it can grow in most climates.
Cenizo
Originally from Mexico, the Cenizo is one of the most popular xeriscaping plants for east Texas. It can be used as a windbreak, screening plant, or accent plant. The plant is quite versatile, but it is not suitable for all climates. Cenizos don’t tolerate too much soil moisture and flowering isn’t dependent on it. Cenizos grow in containers or in large gardens, and they’re deer-resistant. They can be propagated through cuttings or seed, and they host butterfly larvae.
The Cenizo is native to the deserts of southwest and western Texas, but it’s hardy here. It can grow in East Texas with proper drainage, and doesn’t need much water. It will flourish in full sunlight and requires little water. It can grow up to 4 feet tall and needs minimal maintenance, but you should make sure it’s located in a sunny spot. It’s not a very hardy shrub, so it won’t thrive in a humid climate.
Cenizo has several common names, including ‘Lowery’s Legacy’ and ‘Lowery’s Legacy. It’s a woody plant that will grow to be 5 feet tall. The silvery foliage makes the flowers stand out. If you’re planting in a partially shaded area, you can plant Chili Pequin to add color. Its tiny red peppers are attractive to birds.
Pixie Loropetalum
The name of this plant suggests it is an ornamental tree or shrub that is fast-growing. Its dense foliage and bushy habit make it an excellent choice for screening or as a backdrop for perennial borders. They don’t require any special soil conditions, and thrive in most soils with reasonable drainage. Planting loropetalum shrubs near the foundation of a home or along a sidewalk is a great way to avoid forced pruning.
There are several varieties of this plant. Purple Pixie Loropetalum is the most common, with deep purple leaves and pink flowers. It will grow to two feet high and spread four to five feet. Its size makes it a good choice for containers and a groundcover. These shrubs grow best in partial shade, but you can also find them growing in full sun and partial shade.
Purple Pixie is a dwarf variety of Loropetalum. It grows to just one or two feet tall and has a weeping branch habit. It blooms randomly during the growing season. It grows in USDA Zones 7 to 10 and prefers a moist, well-drained soil with good drainage. For a colorful plant, prune Purple Pixie Loropetalum into a mushroom shape, or leave it as it is.
Lantana
Lantana grows well in areas that don’t experience excessively hot summers or cold winters. It is low-maintenance, but susceptible to diseases, such as powdery mildew and root rot. If you want your lantana to bloom abundantly, you should fertilize it sparingly after it blooms. In addition, you can prune it to encourage new growth by removing dead wood in the spring.
Lantana is highly prized for its long blooming season. Many cultivars display multiple colors within their disc-shaped flower heads, which attract butterflies. Their foliage is rough and toothed, and their flowers are slightly fragrant. Lantanas grow well as annuals or perennials. Spreading cultivars look lovely as groundcovers and trailing over containers.
Lantana is drought-tolerant once it has become established, but prolonged periods of drought can affect blooming and performance. You should water your lantana once a week during its blooming period. Frequent overhead watering will result in root rot and increased plant susceptibility to diseases. For best results, prune lantanas to a third of their height once they reach maturity. They will bloom again quickly after pruning.
Lantana is a native of Texas, though it is usually considered tender in North Texas. This shrub can withstand high heat and drought, and its tubular flowers turn yellow to orange and red. It belongs to the verbena family and attracts many pollinators, including butterflies. Hummingbirds also love the black seeds on this shrub. Planting lantana in a container will keep the soil moist and draining properly.