At a glance
- Region ID: TX-CENTRAL
- Anchor cities: Austin, San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7b–9a
- Soil: Alkaline clay and caliche soils common; pH often above 7.5
- Catalog size: 97 plants
- Climate factors: Hot summers (100°F+), mild winters with occasional hard freezes, spring severe weather (hail, tornadoes), drought/flash flood cycles
Pruning & maintenance calendar
January – February
Structural pruning of crape myrtle and roses before bud break. Hard cutback of lantana and firebush dead growth. Texas sage light shaping only.
March – April
Post-bloom pruning of loropetalum and Indian hawthorn. Liriope and mondo grass annual cut to 2–3 inches before new growth. Spring severe weather damage assessment — hail and wind damage common.
May – June
Oak wilt vector window — no live oak pruning. Nitidulid beetles are active and attracted to fresh wounds. Chinch bug monitoring begins on St. Augustine in sunny exposures.
July – August
Summer heat stress peak — minimize pruning across all species. River birch summer pruning window (avoids sap bleed). Oleander bloom management. Oak wilt vector window closes late June — but many arborists still wait until July to resume live oak work.
September – October
Live oak pruning window opens. Fall overseeding prep for cool-season patches. Paint all oak cuts immediately regardless of season.
November – December
Dormant pruning of deciduous trees. Winter protection for marginally hardy species — firebush dies back in zone 8 but regrows reliably from roots.
Regional pest & pathogen pressure
- Oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum) — defining disease of Central Texas. Spreads via nitidulid beetles to fresh wounds and through root-graft connections between adjacent live oaks. Tell: veinal necrosis on leaves, rapid crown loss, fungal mats under bark.
- Rose rosette virus — widespread and increasing. Tell: witches' broom growth, excessive thorniness, distorted red shoots. No cure — remove and destroy infected plants immediately.
- Crape myrtle bark scale — established and spreading. Tell: white felt-like crusty patches on branches; black sooty mold below.
- Southern chinch bug on St. Augustinegrass — heavy mid-summer pressure. Tell: expanding yellow-to-brown patches in sunny lawn portions.
- Cotton root rot on Texas sage — localized in alkaline soils. Tell: sudden wilt and death of established plants, white fungal growth on roots.
- Oleander leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa) — increasing pressure. Tell: leaf margins scorch and yellow, progressing inward; slow decline over seasons.
- Iron chlorosis on acid-loving species — chronic in alkaline soils. Affects loropetalum, river birch, and other acid-preferring plants. Tell: interveinal yellowing — green veins with yellow tissue between.
- Fire ants — ubiquitous. Disrupt root zones, create mounding in turf, and sting workers during maintenance. Cultural management is ongoing.
- Lace bug on lantana — moderate summer pressure. Tell: stippled, bleached upper leaf surfaces; dark excrement spots on leaf undersides.
Core staples (commonness 1)
Currently: 15 of 97 plants profiled. Remaining plants tracked in the catalog data.
River Birch
Core staplePruning — mid-summer
Prune mid-summer to avoid sap bleed that occurs with winter or spring pruning. Chlorosis pressure is heavy in alkaline clay — river birch prefers acidic soil and Central Texas pH levels cause chronic iron deficiency. Chelated iron applications and acidifying amendments help but do not eliminate the issue. Heritage cultivar is the most commonly planted.
Common issues
Disease Iron chlorosis
Interveinal yellowing caused by alkaline soil pH. The defining maintenance issue for river birch in Central Texas. Soil pH testing before planting is critical — if pH exceeds 7.5, consider bald cypress as an alternative shade tree.
Live Oak
Core staplePruning — July through January ONLY
OAK WILT is the dominant issue. Avoid pruning February through June in oak wilt counties — nitidulid beetles vector the fungus to fresh wounds during this window. Paint all cuts immediately with wound sealant regardless of branch size or season. Root-graft transmission between adjacent live oaks means one infected tree can kill every live oak connected underground. Iconic Central Texas shade tree — drought-tolerant, long-lived, and irreplaceable at maturity.
Common pathogens
Disease Oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum)
The defining tree disease of Central Texas. Veinal necrosis on leaves, rapid crown loss, fungal mats under bark attract nitidulid beetles. Root-graft transmission between adjacent live oaks — trenching to sever root connections is the primary containment method. Report suspected cases to Texas A&M Forest Service.
Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum)
Core staplePruning — immediately after spring bloom
Alkaline soil chlorosis is common in Central Texas. Loropetalum is an acid-loving species and Central Texas soils with pH above 7.5 cause chronic iron deficiency — interveinal yellowing is the tell. Acidic amendments (sulfur, acidifying fertilizer) and chelated iron help but require ongoing maintenance. Right-size the cultivar to the site at planting — Purple Pixie, Crimson Fire, and Purple Diamond hold 3–5 ft.
Common issues
Disease Iron chlorosis
Green veins with yellow tissue between them — caused by alkaline soil preventing iron uptake. The most common client complaint about loropetalum in Central Texas.
Dwarf Yaupon Holly
Core staple · NativePruning — late winter to early spring
Heat and drought reliable — xeriscape standard throughout Central Texas. Tolerates alkaline soils without chlorosis issues. Schillings, Stokes, Nana cultivars hold tight rounded form. One of the best native foundation shrubs for the region — no irrigation required once established in most sites.
Indian Hawthorn
Core staplePruning — immediately after spring bloom
Heat-tolerant and reliable in Central Texas. Entomosporium leaf spot pressure is lower here than in humid Gulf Coast climates — the drier conditions reduce disease incidence. Still benefits from avoiding overhead irrigation and sheared-canopy plantings.
Common pathogens
Disease Entomosporium leaf spot
Less pressure in dry Central Texas conditions than in humid coastal regions, but still present — especially in irrigated foundation plantings with poor air circulation.
Knock Out Rose
Core staplePruning — late winter (January–February)
Cut back by one-third to one-half in late winter before bud break. Rose rosette virus (RRV) is widespread and increasing — watch for witches' broom growth, excessive thorniness, and distorted red shoots. No cure exists; remove and destroy infected plants immediately to prevent spread by eriophyid mites. Summer heat compounds stress — supplemental irrigation during 100°F+ stretches.
Common pathogens
Disease Rose rosette virus
Transmitted by eriophyid mites. Witches' broom, excessive thorniness, distorted red growth. Widespread in Central Texas — no cure. Remove and destroy infected plants immediately.
Daylily
Core staplePruning — remove spent scapes; cut back foliage in late winter
Heat-tolerant and reliable in Central Texas landscapes. Stella de Oro and Happy Returns are the most commonly planted reblooming cultivars. Daylily rust is present but generally manageable — remove and discard affected foliage rather than composting.
Common pathogens
Disease Daylily rust
Orange-brown pustules on leaf surfaces. Present in the region but manageable with sanitation — remove affected foliage and avoid overhead irrigation.
Liriope / Monkey Grass
Core staplePruning — late winter (February–early March)
Mow or string-trim entire planting to 2–3 inches before new growth. Heat-tolerant and reliable — workhorse border and groundcover plant throughout Central Texas. Tolerates alkaline soils. Big Blue and Variegata are the most common cultivars.
Mondo Grass
Core staplePruning — minimal; renew every 2–3 years if needed
Reliable in shaded sites throughout Central Texas. Dwarf cultivar ('Nana', 3–4 inches) commonly used between pavers and stepping stones. Finer texture than liriope. Most plantings need no annual pruning.
Inside the app
Skip the spreadsheet. Verdant Meridian seeds your library with the regional palette on day one.
Pick your region at onboarding — the app loads commonness-1 and commonness-2 plants into your element library.
Try Free — 30 DaysLantana
Core staplePruning — late winter, hard cutback to 6–12 inches
Heat and drought workhorse — one of the most reliable flowering plants in Central Texas. Dies back in hard freezes but regrows aggressively from roots. New Gold, Dallas Red, and Bloomify series are common cultivars. All parts toxic if ingested.
Common pests
Pest Lace bug
Moderate summer pressure. Stippled, bleached upper leaf surfaces with dark excrement spots on undersides. Typically cosmetic — healthy lantana outgrows the damage.
Asiatic Jasmine
Core staplePruning — late winter to early spring
Heat and drought workhorse — reliable groundcover throughout Central Texas. Mow or string-trim entire bed to 2–3 inches once a year. Mature beds spread aggressively. Climbs structures if not maintained at bed edges.
St. Augustinegrass
Core stapleMowing height — 3.5–4 inches
Reliable warm-season turf throughout Central Texas. Raleigh cultivar offers better cold tolerance for DFW (zone 8a). Maintain at proper height to suppress chinch bug pressure. Chinch bug pressure is heavy — monitor sunny lawn portions weekly June through September.
Common pests
Pest Southern chinch bug
Irregular yellow-to-brown patches in sunny portions, expanding outward. Tiny black-and-white bugs at patch margins. The defining summer pest of St. Augustine in Central Texas. Maintain mowing height at 3.5–4 inches to reduce pressure.
Texas Sage / Cenizo
Core staple · NativePruning — light shaping in late winter only
Native range workhorse and xeriscape standard throughout Central Texas. Blooms in response to humidity — often flowering within days of summer rain, earning the name "barometer plant." Silver-gray foliage with purple, pink, or white flowers depending on cultivar. Do not overwater or overshear — this plant evolved in the Chihuahuan Desert and resents both. Compact cultivars (Compacta, Heavenly Cloud) for foundation plantings; species form for mass native plantings.
Common pathogens
Disease Cotton root rot
Localized in alkaline soils. Sudden wilt and death of established plants — white fungal growth visible on roots. Caused by Phymatotrichopsis omnivora. More common in heavy clay sites with poor drainage.
Oleander
Core stapleSeverely toxicPruning — late winter or after bloom flushes
Heat-tolerant workhorse commonly used in highway medians, commercial sites, and residential screening. ALL PARTS ARE SEVERELY TOXIC — leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and smoke from burning trimmings. Fatal if ingested by humans, dogs, cats, horses. Do not compost clippings where livestock or pets have access. Leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa) pressure is increasing throughout Central Texas.
Common pathogens
Disease Oleander leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa)
Leaf margins scorch and yellow, progressing inward over seasons. Spread by glassy-winged sharpshooter. No cure — infected plants decline over 3–5 years. Increasing pressure throughout Central Texas.
Firebush
Core staplePruning — late winter, hard cutback of dead growth
Die-back perennial in zone 8 — freezes to the ground in most Central Texas winters but regrows reliably from roots each spring. Treat as a root-hardy perennial, not an evergreen shrub, when designing for this region. Continuous orange-red tubular flowers attract hummingbirds spring through frost. In zone 9a (southern San Antonio), may retain some woody structure through mild winters.
How this list was built
Compiled from regional wholesale grower availability lists — not retail garden references. No chemical, fungicide, or product recommendations appear anywhere in this database. Diagnostic and cultural information only.
FAQ
When can I prune live oak in Texas?
Avoid pruning live oaks February through June — this is the peak oak wilt vector window. The safest pruning window is July through January. If emergency pruning is required during the risk window, paint all cuts immediately with wound sealant regardless of branch size. Oak wilt spreads via nitidulid beetles attracted to fresh wounds and through root-graft connections between adjacent live oaks.
What hardiness zone is Austin?
Austin is USDA Zone 8b. San Antonio spans 8b–9a. Dallas-Fort Worth is 8a. The broader Central Texas region covers Zones 7b through 9a.
Is Texas sage native?
Yes. Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens), also called cenizo or barometer plant, is native to the Chihuahuan Desert region of Texas and northern Mexico. It blooms in response to humidity — often flowering within days of summer rain.
Is oleander safe for yards with pets?
No. All parts of oleander are severely toxic — leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and even smoke from burning trimmings. Ingestion can be fatal to dogs, cats, horses, and humans. If oleander is present with pets or small children, consider removal or ensure no clippings are left accessible.
Why is my loropetalum turning yellow in Texas?
Iron chlorosis caused by alkaline soil. Central Texas soils are predominantly alkaline clay and caliche with pH often above 7.5. Loropetalum is acid-loving and cannot uptake iron efficiently in alkaline conditions. Symptoms are interveinal yellowing — green veins with yellow tissue between. Acidic amendments and chelated iron help, but the underlying soil chemistry makes loropetalum a high-maintenance choice here.
Cite this page
Verdant Meridian, “Texas Hill Country & Central Plant Palette,”
verdantmeridian.app/regions/texas-central, updated May 2026. CC-BY-4.0. Raw data: /data/plants.json.Published under CC-BY-4.0. Free to use, redistribute, build on — attribution required.
