14. Two-leafed Senna Information on Native Wildscape 15. Woody Carlowrightia Sources of Native Plants for the Rio Grande Valley Certification for Residential and A Guide For VINES, MOST USED BY CATERPILLARS Commercial Property is Available From: 1. Aphidvine Bayview River’s End Nursery (956) 233-4792 1. TEXAS WILDSCAPES BACKYARD HABITAT Selecting and Planting 2. Blue Passionflowervine PROGRAM 3. Cliff Morning Glory Brownsville www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wildscapes 4. Crucita Nongame and Urban Program Native Cacti, 5. David’s Milkberry Gentry’s Garden Center (956) 350-9805 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 6. Reticulated Milkvine Palm Gardens Nursery (956) 546-1348 4200 Smith School Road 7. Texas Virgin’s Bower Tony’s Nursery (956) 541-5322 Austin, TX 78744 (512) 389-4644 Groundcovers, Shrubs, 8. Twinevine 2. BACKYARD WILDLIFE HABITAT PROGRAM Edinburg www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat Trees, Vines and WILDFLOWERS AND GROUND COVERS Reyes Nursery (956) 380-1528 National Wildlife Federation 1. Blackfoot Daisy 11100 Wildlife Center Drive 2. Chisme Harlingen Reston, VA 20190-5362 (703) 438-6000 / 1-800-822-9919 Wildflowers 3. Common Frogfruit Grimsell Seed Co. (956) 423-0370 The Native Plant Project has published five handbooks on Native 4. Cowpen Daisy *Heep’s Nursery (956) 457-6834* Trees, Plants, Shrubs, Pond and Wetland Plants and Butterfly 5. Dalea *Mother Nature’s Creations (956) 428-4897* Gardening. Information from these handbooks has been included In The Rio Grande 6. Desert Horsepurslane Stuart Place Nursery (956) 428-4439 in this Guide. The Native Plant Project is located at: 7. Firewheel NATIVE PLANT PROJECT 8. Grasses - Buffalo and Sacahuista McAllen www.nativeplantproject.org Valley of Texas and 9. Hair-seeded Bahia C.S. Waugh’s Nursery (956) 686-5591 P. O. Box 2742 San Juan, TX 78589 10. Heep’s Spiderwort Grand Oak Junction Garden & Gifts (956) 631-6670 Mexico 11. Inland Camphor Plant Valley Garden Center (956) 682-9411 Handbooks are available from: 12. Lazydaisy VALLEY NATURE CENTER 13. Mexican Hat Mission 301 South Border Avenue 14. Narrow-leafed Dayflower Shady Acres Nursery (956) 581-7783 P. O. Box 8125 15. Ponyfoot Wood Sorrel Weslaco, TX 78599 (956) 969-2475 16. Powderpuff Rio Grande City (Price per handbook is $5.00 plus $1.00 for postage and handling. 17. Primroses - Cutleaf and Stemless Evening *Rancho Lomitas Nursery (956) 487-2576* A discount is available for an order of multiple copies.) 18. Redbud The Valley Nature Center will rescue native plants to be destroyed 19. Rio Grande Phlox Raymondville by construction companies, developers or if they are no longer wanted by homeowners. 20. Rock Daisy Caldwell’s Jungle Nursery (956) 689-3432 21. Ruellias - Runyon’s and Western For advice on revegetating private land holdings, contact: 22. Sand Bluebonnet Ms. Lisa Williams Maxwell Pons, Jr. San Benito The Nature Conservancy of Texas The Nature Conservancy of Texas 23. Soft-leafed Dogweed River Oaks Nursery (956) 399-4078 Private Land Initiative 10000 Southmost Road 24. Stemless Perezia P. O. Box 6281, McAllen, TX 78502-6281 Brownsville, Texas 78521 25. Stiff-leafed Dogweed Weslaco (956) 580-4241 (956) 546-0547 26. Sunflowers - Bush, Common and Runyon’s Mid-Valley Garden & Pond (956) 973-1998 Other Native Plant Guides available from Valley Proud 27. Swanflower *Valley Nature Center (956) 969-2475* 28. Texas Paintbrush “ A Guide to Gowing Healthy Trees in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas” 29. Texas Palafoxia *Offer Native Plants Only 30. Texas Thistle “A Guide for Selecting and Planting Native Ground Cover, 31. Two-color Prairie Coneflower Wildflowers, Shrubs and Trees on South Padre Island This list revised March, 2008. Any registered nursery handling Valley native plants and in the Laguna Madre Area” 32. Verbenas - Dakota, Hillside and Texas which wishes to be added to this list, please contact Valley Proud Environmental 33. White Palafoxia Council, 513 E. Jackson, Harlingen, Texas 78550 (956) 412-8004. Available at: 34. Wild Petunia Valley Proud Environmental Council 513 E. Jackson, Harlingen, TX 78550 Plant material on these lists was recommended by representatives “Never forget we did not inherit this land from our of the Native Plant Project, the Nature Conservancy, Texas Parks www.valleyproud.org and Wildlife, U. S. Fish and Wildlife and by Mike Heep, owner of ancestors; it is on loan to us from our children.” Prepared By: Heep’s Nursery. —Indian Saying Will be Celebrating 25 Years James R. Matz THIRD EDITION 2008 of Service in 2015 Chair, Valley Proud Environmental Council SELECTING Planting during the hotter months can be done but requires much NATIVE TREES 21. Manzanita NATIVE SHRUBS more water, care and maintenance and is equally more stressful on 1. Anacahuita (Wild Olive) 22. Mariola AND TREES the plant and you than during the cooler late autumn through early 2. Anaqua (Sugarberry) 23. Mexican Caesalpinia spring months. The one exception is palm trees which do best when 3. Baldcypress, Montezuma (Ahuehuete, Sabino) 24. Mexican Trixis The choice of a native planted late Spring through early Fall while the soil is warm. 4. Barreta 25. Mission Fiddlewood shrub or tree, like any 5. Black Willow (Sauz) 26. Orange Zexmenia other plant, should be Preparing the Site 6. Brasil (Bluewood) 27. Oregano dictated by landscaping A hole should be dug sufficiently deep and wide enough to hold 7. Cedar Elm (Olmo) 28. Oreja de Ratón need and the desired the full root system. In very poor soils the hole should be wider and 8. Chapote (Texas Persimmon) 29. Rio Grande Aloysia effect. Given the limits of deeper. As the hole is dug, the soil from the top 4 to 6 inches, which 9. Colima (Lime Prickly-ash) 30. Short-horned Zexmenia purpose and site, finding is richer, should be kept separated from the subsoil. Discard the 10. Coma del Sur (Saffron-plum) 31. Shrubby Blue Sage a native shrub or tree subsoil and replace with the top soil or improve the subsoil by 11. Coyote Willow (Sauz) 32. Sierra Madre Torchwood which will handsomely mixing at least 1:1 subsoil to moist peatmoss or excess media from 12. Granjeno (Spiny Hackberry) 33. Skeletonbush fulfill every requirement Texas the pot in which the shrub was growing. 13. Guajillo (Berlandier’s Acacia) 34. Snake-eyes Sabal Palm photo: Dr. Gene Lester is no problem. Once a 14. Guayacán (Soapbush) 35. Tamaulipan Fiddlewood choice is made, there Setting the Shrub or Tree 15. Honey Mesquite 36. Texas Baby-bonnets remain only a few location The top of the root system or ball should NOT be lower than the 16. Live Oak 37. Texas Colubrina and planning tips to be top of the hole. The shrub or tree usually dies when planted too 17. Mescal Bean (Texas Mountain Laurel) 38. Texas Kidneywood observed. deep. Remove the shrub or tree from the container. If roots are so 18. Retama (Lluvia de Oro) 39. Texas Lantana numerous they are encircling the soil ball, cut the root ball vertically 40. Torrey’s Croton Obtaining Plants 19. Rio Grande Ash to a depth of two inches with 20. Runyon’s Tree 41. Trecul’s Yucca First, buy your plant from a reputable, reliable nurseryman. DO a sharp knife to encourage the 42. Vasey’s Adelia NOT transplant from the wild. Not only is this rarely successful, Yucca 21. Soapberry, Western (Jaboncillo) roots to grow outward. After 22. Sugar Hackberry (Palo Blanco) 43. Velvet Lantana it diminishes our threatened natural plant and animal habitats. A setting the shrub or tree in the 44. Wherry Mimosa healthy, vigorous looking small shrub or tree is much preferred 23. Tenaza hole, soil should be added 24. Tepeguaje 45. White Brush (Chaparro Blanco) over a large one and smaller specimens suffer less transplant shock. gradually by working the first 46. Yellow Sophora With smaller plants, chances of survival and rapid growth are very 25. Texas Ebony (Ebano) lot of soil in firmly at the base 26. Texas Huisache high, they are cheaper, and within a year their size equals those of the root ball, then filling the AGAVE-FORMS SHRUBS AND CACTI which were initially two to three times larger. 27. Texas Palo Verde hole with more soil. The shrub 28. Texas Sabal Palm 1. Barbedwire Cactus or tree may be raised and Site Location 29. Wright’s Catclaw (Uña de Gato) 2. Buckley’s Yucca lowered during the filling 3. Guapilla Poorly drained areas should be avoided or mounded for drainage process to eliminate air pockets, and the trees/shrubs planted on top of the mound. It is difficult NATIVE SHRUBS 4. Rough Agave thus bringing the roots in closer 5. Runyon’s Huaco for native trees/shrubs to grow on a site where a large portion of contact with the soil. When the 1. Allthorn (Junco) the soil near the root area is covered by blacktop or paving. Make 2. Amargosa 6. Siler’s Huaco hole is filled, tamp the area 7. Tasajillo sure the plant has plenty of growing space and do not plant too firmly with your feet. 3. Berlandier Wolfberry close to houses or 4. Black Brush (Chaparro Prieto) 8. Thorn-crested Agave pathways. Watering 5. Cenizo (Texas Ranger, Purple Sage) 9. Variegated Huaco Anacahuita photo: Dr. Steve Bentsen (Wild Olive) The soil around the shrub or 6. Chapotillo (Texas Torchwood) 10. Nopal Prickly Pear PLANTING tree must be watered thoroughly after the plant is set in place. A 7. Chilipiquin (Bird Pepper) NATIVE SHRUBS ring of soil at the perimeter of the filled hole, four inches high, 8. Coral Bean (Colorin) SHORT SHRUBS AND TREES should be made for holding water. The frequency of watering 9. Coyotillo 1. Calderona Ratany depends on the type of soil, the size of the shrub or tree and the 10.