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BROWSE OUR SPECIES LISTS

Welcome to our “window-shopping” zone. Use our Species Lists to expand your knowledge of trees and other plants, to learn which plants do well in central Texas, and to decide which plants you might like.

Once you know what you want, visit our Shop page to see what’s actually available right now and place your order. Not every plant on our Species Lists will be available at any given time, but we’ll do our best to accommodate special requests. If you have questions or want some assistance, give us a call at 512-914-7519. Thank you for choosing Hill Country Natives.

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NATIVE SPECIES
Useful and desirable plants native to Central Texas

Central Texas native trees and other central Texas native plants are the core of our business here at Hill Country Natives. By choosing native plants, you can create a lovely, low-maintenance landscape while also helping to restore the natural ecosystem of central Texas. Hardy native trees also form the perfect canopy for a Woodland Garden, providing summer protection from excess sunlight and reducing winter freeze damage.
Browse our Native Species List

Figs

Figs

EDIBLE SPECIES
Edible plants adapted to central Texas

A small patch of land is all the space you need to create a Texas Woodland Garden, which is the term we like to use for a diverse and complimentary multilevel plant structure, similar to a natural woodland, but designed to meet the needs of Central Texas humans. This concept has evolved in other parts of the world under the terms “Forest Garden”, or “Food Forest”, but here is being adapted to the unique characteristics of the Texas Hill Country.  An ideal woodland garden for Central Texas consists of seven “layers”:

1) A canopy layer of native trees to moderate the environment for lower plants.

2) Understory composed of native and improved fruit trees.

3) Shrub layer: mostly berry-producing shrubs.

4) Herbaceous layer of perennial vegetables and pollinator-supporting flowers.

5) Ground-cover layer of culinary and medicinal herbs, as well as organic mulch.

6) Root Layer; Alliums of all kinds, Sweet Potatoes, Sunchokes.

7) A vertical “layer” of vines supported by arbors and climbing the trees.

The plants form a network of mutually beneficial relationships that is greater than the sum of its parts. The diverse needs and strategies of the plants use and share resources such as sun, water and nutrients much more efficiently than any single species could.  We are convinced that lots of “roots in the ground” is the MOST effective path to a better environment.  While growing food for yourself, you’ll also be nurturing wildlife and helping to restore balance to the ecosystem.

While significantly different from the typical vegetable garden, the Texas Woodland Garden, like the savanna it emulates, provides sunny patches in addition to shade and part shade, to accommodate all types of food plants, including annuals, that make up the familiar vegetable garden.

Here’s a short video with more info about forest gardening.

Here is a link on Fruit Tree Pruning for Backyard Orchard Cultivation

Browse our Edible Species List

Loquat

Loquat

CULTIVARS & SPECIALS
Our new “Other” category

This list includes cultivars, grafted varieties, and other useful and desirable plants that don’t fit neatly into our Natives or Edibles categories. Many of these species are promising for screening purposes.
Browse our Cultivars & Specials List

Golden Ball Lead Tree, laden with seeds.

NITROGEN FIXING SPECIES
Plants that pull nitrogen out of the air

Nitrogen is a vital plant nutrient, fueling growth and photosynthesis.  The plants on this list form symbiotic relationships with rhizobia bacteria.  Put simply, these bacteria live inside special root nodules where they transform nitrous oxide “inhaled” by their host plant into a form of nitrogen that is usable by plants.  In exchange, the host plant provides the bacteria with carbohydrates and proteins.  This process pulls enough nitrogen from the air into the soil to feed not only the host plant, but also its neighboring plants, making nitrogen fixers a valuable addition to any landscape.

Browse our Nitrogen Fixing Species List

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