The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on What To Plant In North Texas

Trust us. We know. Planting and gardening here in North Texas can be tough, even for the greenest of thumbs. But your yard can be more than just a yard - it can truly be an extension of the living area of your home if you do it right!

We've attended classes before taught by employees of Texas A&M's Water University where they've spoken about how to plant and what to plant here in North Texas. And we figured you could benefit from the helpful information as well!

Before we get to the what, here are a couple tips they gave on the how.

1. Read the tag! When choosing plants, pay close attention to the hardiness, sizing and spacing. 
2. Dig wide, not deep. When planting, think wider instead of deeper. Then fill the hole back in with the soil you took out.
3. Use bark mulch. Spread about 2-4 inches of mulch in your beds. You can event put compost or leaves underneath to help with the soil. The mulch will help control weeds and will also lock in moisture. Plus, it looks pretty.
4. Utilize ferns or containers. Especially under trees where the grass dies, ferns and containers are a great option for ground cover. Ferns don't need a lot of sunlight to flourish. And if you plant specimens in containers that don't need a lot of sun, you can switch it out each year to mix things up a little bit.
5. Practice cycle and soak irrigation. Instead of super soaking your lawn all at once (it's hard for it to soak all that in with our clay soil here in North Texas), practice cycle and soak irrigation. Run your sprinkler system for 10 minutes and then let your lawn rest for an hour or two before running your sprinklers again for 10 minutes. You'll find a lot less water running off and going to waste. 

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... what do you plant here in North Texas? Believe it or not, there are a lot of great options! Here are Texas A&M's Water University's Top 100 Native and Adapted Plants for North Texas.

If you'd like to learn more about an individual plant, or if you want more advice on how to make your yard both beautiful and enjoyable, visit the Water University's website for all kinds of information and advice!