Environment

Go Native with Plants—Save water, time, energy, and the environment.

Xeriscape your home with plants that do not use much water and do not require use of chemicals/pesticides. There are many shrubs, trees, and perennial flowers which do well in the Austin heat and drought and once established take very little if any care. In fact some plants like the Cenzio, nandina, many types of salvia, blackfoot dasies, xemenia and others thrive with neglect. Plants and trees contribute needed oxygen to the air, cool homes, streets and the land, break the cold winds to lower your heating costs, and provide food for wildlife “The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.”—U.S.Department of Agriculture.

Local Plant Nurseries

Certain plant nurseries in town have native plants and have staff who are knowledgeable about them. A list of Austin nurseries is provided at the city of Austin’s Grow Green web site. Some of the best nurseries who have native and xeriscape plants and the knowledgeable staff are as follows:

Environmental Links

  • Wildflower Center - Native Plant Database: Find out the native plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, etc, that will grow best in your area.
  • City of Austin - Landscaping Guide and Grow Green Program: Grow Green is a water quality education program that promotes least-toxic solutions to gardening problems. Grow Green encourages people to make landscaping choices that benefit the environment. It is an earth-friendly approach to gardening whose main goal is to reduce pollution in our waterways. However, it is also a comprehensive program that addresses water conservation and recycling options.
  • City of Austin - Native and Adapted Plant Guide
  • The National Arbor Day Foundation: A tree guide with detailed information on dozens of commonly planted landscape is available.  This site contains everything you ever wanted to know about trees.
  • Eartheasy: This site has many ideas for environmentally sustainable living. Some information includes:
    • Conserving water in the home
    • Recycling basics for the home
    • Simplilfy
    • Natural Cooling
    • Energy-Efficient Heating
    • Composting
    • Natural Lawn Care
    • Natural Pest Control
    • Gift Wrapping Alternatives