Plant & Grass Library
The best North Texas lawns and beds start with plants that belong here. Browse water-wise picks and the ideal way to irrigate each one.
The North Texas workhorse. Loves heat and full sun, goes dormant and brown in winter, and recovers fast from traffic.
Pro tip: Needs ~1 inch of water per week in summer. Pair with MP rotator nozzles and cycle-and-soak on clay to prevent runoff.
Lush, broad-bladed turf that tolerates more shade than Bermuda — the go-to for tree-shaded Dallas yards.
Pro tip: Thirstier than Bermuda. Watch for chinch bugs in hot spots and avoid overwatering, which invites fungus.
Dense, carpet-like turf that crowds out weeds and sips water once established. A premium, water-wise lawn choice.
Pro tip: Slow to establish but very drought-tolerant after year one. Deep, infrequent watering builds the best root system.
A true Texas native prairie grass. Soft, fine-textured, and astonishingly drought-tough for low-input lawns.
Pro tip: Can survive on rainfall alone in many years. Over-watering actually weakens it and invites weeds.
Silvery foliage and purple blooms that erupt after summer rains. A bulletproof native foundation shrub.
Pro tip: Hates wet feet — put it on a low-frequency drip zone and never overwater. Thrives on neglect.
Non-stop red, pink, or coral blooms from spring to frost. A hummingbird magnet that shrugs off Texas heat.
Pro tip: Shear lightly mid-summer for a second flush. A single drip emitter per plant is plenty.
Heat-proof color machine in fiery yellows, oranges, and purples. Pollinators love it; deer don't.
Pro tip: More water means more leaves and fewer flowers — keep it lean for maximum bloom.
A cloud of pink fall plumes that catches the light. Native, airy, and effortlessly elegant in beds.
Pro tip: Cut back to a few inches in late winter. Needs almost no supplemental water once rooted.
A tidy, native evergreen that takes shearing well — the dependable green structure of low-water beds.
Pro tip: Drip irrigation keeps the dense interior dry and disease-free. Tolerates clay and reflected heat.
A dense, weed-smothering evergreen mat for slopes and tree bases where grass struggles.
Pro tip: Inline drip line tucked under the foliage keeps it even and lush without overhead waste.
The iconic, near-evergreen shade tree of Texas. Massive, long-lived, and a cornerstone of cooling the yard.
Pro tip: Water deeply and slowly at the drip line with bubblers — never with shallow turf spray near the trunk.
Summer-long blooms and beautiful bark. The most planted flowering tree in North Texas for good reason.
Pro tip: Avoid 'crepe murder' — skip the harsh topping. A bubbler zone at the root ball beats turf overspray.