Texas Native Plant Primer

From Texas's leading native plant organization comes an accessible and colorful guide to planting native for home gardeners at every level of expertise. 

Do you want a garden that makes a real difference? Choose plants native to our Texas. The rewards will benefit you, your yard, and the environment—from reducing maintenance tasks to attracting earth-friendly pollinators such as native birds, butterflies, and bees. Native plant expert Andrea DeLong-Amaya and the world famous Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center make adding these superstar plants easier than ever before, with proven advice that every home gardener can follow.

This incomparable sourcebook includes native ferns, grasses, wildflowers, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees. It’s everything you need to know to create a beautiful and beneficial garden.

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center uses native plants to restore and create sustainable, beautiful landscapes. It carries out a mission to inspire the conservation of native plants through its gardens, research, education, and outreach programs. In doing so, the center improves water quality, provides habitat for wildlife, and enhances human health and happiness. In 2017, it was officially designated the Botanic Garden and Arboretum of Texas.

 
Andrea DeLong-Amaya is the director of horticulture, overseeing the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s gardens and nursery programs with a passion for sharing the value of native plants in planned landscapes. She’s been a staff member since 1998 and has nearly 30 years of experience with native plants in horticulture, ecology and garden design. DeLong-Amaya has appeared numerous times on "Central Texas Gardener," PBS’s long-running television program, and was a two-time guest on WNYC’s "Science Friday" Jennifer Jewell featured Andrea’s work in her 2020 book, The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants.