What We Plant in Houston, and What We Stopped
What thrives in Gulf Coast heat, humidity, and clay — and what we have stopped planting.
6 articles
Articles on Plants & Planting
Plants & Planting · 5 min readHow Much Sun Does Your Yard Really Get?
A simple way to map light across your yard before choosing plants — and why “full sun” on a plant tag means something different in Houston.
By Chris Gosselin
Plants & Planting · 6 min readNative Texas Plants That Handle Drought
Native plants that survive a Houston summer without constant irrigation — and why “drought tolerant” still means watering through the first year.
By Chris Gosselin
Plants & Planting · 5 min readWhy Boxwoods Fail in Houston, and What We Plant Instead
Boxwoods look right and die anyway. Why they struggle in Gulf Coast heat and clay, and why Dwarf Yaupon Holly is the swap we now specify in Houston beds.
By Chris Gosselin- Plants & Planting · 2 min read
100 Native Plants for Harris and Adjacent Counties
One hundred natives picked for two things at once: they grow in Harris County gumbo, and they feed birds, butterflies and beneficial insects. The full list.
By Chris Gosselin 
Plants & Planting · 6 min readBest Ground Covers for Houston Yards
The ground covers that hold up in Houston shade, heat, and clay — where each one works, where it fails, and when turf or paving is the better answer.
By Chris Gosselin
Plants & Planting · 4 min readSkip the Fence: Privacy From Eagleston Hollies
A fence needs staining and stops at its own height. Eagleston Hollies keep filling in. Why dense evergreen foliage beats a built screen for Houston privacy.
By Chris Gosselin
What this looks like built.
- Landscape InstallationFlower beds, planting, and mulch — beds shaped and edged, plants chosen for Houston heat and clay, and the whole scheme installed at once.
- XeriscapingLow-water planting with gravel, boulders, and adapted species — often searched as zeroscaping, and the answer to a lawn that cannot survive a watering restriction.
- Artificial TurfSynthetic lawns that stay green through a Houston August — for shaded yards, dog runs, pool surrounds, and paver-and-turf hardscape.
- IrrigationSprinkler and drip systems installed, zoned, and tuned — new systems, repairs, and the retrofits that stop a system watering the driveway.
Other topics
- Landscape Design8How a design comes together, what it costs, and what Houston soil and weather do to the plan.
- Pergolas & Patio Covers14Shade structures compared — cedar against aluminum, cantilever against post-and-beam, and what each is like to live with.
- Turf & Putting Greens4Artificial turf and synthetic greens: timing, construction, and upkeep.
- Pools & Outdoor Living9Pools, lighting, and the outdoor rooms that get used every evening rather than twice a summer.
Read enough.
Let us walk the yard.
Everything above came out of projects like yours. A consultation is a walk of the property: what it can support, what it needs first, and roughly what that costs.
4.9 average from 396+ Houston reviews