Native landscaping has been a hot topic recently as Texas continues to face major droughts, high temperatures, and increased growth. Although now (mid August) isn’t the best time to re-do your landscape or do any planting, it’s a great time to think about what you can do in the future. Look at areas in your yard where you see the most stress. Maybe it’s an area in your yard that gets the most sun, like the parkway strip that receives heat from the sidewalk and the street. Or an area that doesn’t receive good coverage from the sprinkler system. Maybe it’s an area where there’s too much shade and grass can’t grow, like those narrow areas in between you and your neighbor’s house or under trees. These are ideal candidates for creating native landscaping areas. You don’t have to convert your entire yard or replace all the turfgrass with native plants. The best place to start is in sections where you can easily maintain and change. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, be sure to consider the location of sprinkler heads, so they aren’t blocked; or cap them off. A sprinkler zone is also a good candidate for a space to make changes, as ideally the area is already similar (meaning: all grass for example).
Things to consider
If you live in an HOA, be sure to read over the landscaping guidelines and ensure your plans meet their standards. Under Texas Property Code 202.007, you are not restricted from using drought-tolerant plants; however, HOAs might have guidelines to ensure landscaping meets standards and looks maintained. You may have to submit plans prior to your landscaping project. If you made changes to your landscaping without notifying your HOA or submitting plans, you may have to remove or change things that you may not have known were allowed.
Know the growing seasons for certain types of plants. If you are planning to use wildflowers, particularly annuals, be aware that some will look dry or die off at the end of their season. You are allowed to have wildflowers within the City of Round Rock. The Round Rock Code of Ordinances Sec. 14-179. – Accumulation of weeds, states weeds, brush, or other vegetation cannot exceed more than 12 inches. During the period March 1 through June 15 of each year, property containing concentrated wildflowers in areas where grasses and weeds do not exceed 24 inches in height is exempt from the provisions of this section. This ordinance helps ensure that plants do not get overgrown, which could cause an increase in rodents or a fire hazard. If you do go the wildflower route, try to keep the area maintained and know the difference between weeds, grasses, and wildflowers. The main takeaway is that the landscaping should look intentional.
Be aware of water usage when establishing new plants. One of your main goals when converting areas to native/drought-tolerant landscaping should be to save water! We wouldn’t want you to end up using more water or even the same amount of water you would have used if the area was kept as turfgrass. (By the way, it’s possible to keep turfgrass alive during drought, without overwatering.) You will need to water more frequently when you install plants to help get them established. After about three weeks, the plants will survive with minimal watering.
Resources to Help You Plan
Use the City of Austin’s GrowGreen Landscaping Guide to plan your project. This is a great resource because it provides information on plant height, water, and sunlight requirements. The plants in this guide are native to or adapted to our Central Texas climate.
The Lower Colorado River Authority WaterSmart Program now offers a turf conversion rebate: $0.50 per square foot up to $600 for converting a minimum of 200 square feet of healthy turf grass to native garden beds or drought-tolerant landscapes. Replacement landscapes may not include turf grass or automatic irrigation.
