Blooming Now- Texas Mountain Laurel- great smell!
The property has nearly 150 species of native and adapted plants. Most of them were planted in the large deer-proof yard. There are several rare native species, including Texas Madrone, Blanco Crabapple, Eve’s Necklace, Escarpment Black Cherry, Texas Pistache, and pink and white Anacachio Orchid trees. All plants require minimal water. All beds have drip watering lines with individual controls. There are numerous thickets, including in the area of the bird feeders, which makes excellent bird habitat. The thickets also bring in the rare birds like Painted Buntings.
A list of the plant species on the property can be found here
There is a backyard pond made with large native flagstone from the property. It has a waterfall and a shallow area for birds. There are many Leopard frogs and multi-colored Goldfish. It also has a lot of vegetation which keeps the water clear without filtering.
There are several large raised-bed organic gardens. This allows for rotating plantings. Rotation, together with the rainwater irrigation make disease and insect problems rare. Only organic products have been used in the gardens. Each garden has a faucet next to it with individual cut-offs and drains for freeze protection. The gardens are large enough to grow as much- or as little as you want. The vegetable gardens would also make great native plant areas!
There is a large, mature asparagus bed with its own irrigation line. There is also perennial chives, oregano, and parsley. The Malabar summer spinach re-seeds itself and is a prolific producer through most of the year.
There are plum, peach, and pear trees. The best producer is the Methley plum which gives close to 100 pounds of plums most years. The plums are not so attractive to the 4-legged critters. There is 1 heavy-producing peach tree, and a couple smaller ones. There are 2 back-up Mefley plums since plums are short-lived trees. One pear tree is producing and a second is just starting.
