In this episode we’ll look at Houston through the lens of a native plant enthusiast. Katy Emde, an expert member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, explains why native plants are great but sometimes hard to find, what she does to source the best seeds and what books and digital resources will inspire you to give native plants a try.
Resources on the episode on Houston native plants:
- Non-native plants we mentioned:
- Chinese tallow, which is invasive;
- Crape Myrtle, which is native to China – take a look at a 1,300-year old specimen here.
- An official State of Texas plant that is not a Texas native: The waterlily Nymphaea Texas Dawn:
- The New York Times of Sept. 14, 2011, states that it is “a cross between Mexicana, which is wild in Texas, and Pink Starlet, a hybrid.”
- Texas Dawn was hybridized by Ken Landon of San Angelo, TX.
- The USDA Plants Database shows that one of Texas Dawn’s precursors, Mexicana, is indeed native to Texas.
- Bob Randall’s book “Year-Round Food Gardening for Houston and Southeast Texas”, which recommends replacing St. Augustine lawns either with edible plants or native plants.
- The melonette that Katy accepts in her garden because it is host to the beautiful melonworm moth.
- Guides for verifying whether a plant really is native to our area:
- The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Plants Database allows you to zoom to the level of your county.
- Plant checklists provided by the Native Plant Society of Texas. Here you’ll find Dr. Larry Brown’s checklist. Not for beginners.
- The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). Not for beginners.
- Locations mentioned by Katy Emde:
- The R.A. Vines Environmental Science Center (link to a Houston Chronicle Story, as I could not find a proper website)
- The Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens.
- The Houston Arboretum.
- The Kleb Woods Nature Preserve.
- The Memorial Park Eastern Glades.
- Where can you buy native plants? Regular plant sales:
- Where can you buy native plants? Occasional plant sales:
- Native Plant Society of Texas Wildscapes Workshop.
- Houston Museum of Natural Science, Cockrell Butterfly Center (only part of the plants are native)
- The Mercer Arboretum holds plant sales. Call to inquire.
- Houston Arboretum.
- Where can you learn about native plants?
- The Native Plant Society of Texas, Houston Chapter. And here is their Facebook page.
- The Native Landscape Certification Program.
- Two good books on native plants:
- Sally and Andy Wasowski: Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (recommended by Nivien).
- Doug Tallamy: Bringing Nature Home (recommended by Katy Emde).
- Apps for learning to identify plants (native and otherwise):
- iNaturalist. Here is the website. Check your phone’s App Store to download the mobile app.
- Picture This! (Nivien’s favorite app).
“I Want to Return Native Plants to Houston” – Episode Transcript
To view the episode transcript, click here to open the pdf file.