6 Easiest Plants To Grow In Houston (With Pictures)

Gardening is a fun way to get active, grab some sunlight, and beautify your surroundings. Aside from their innate beauty, plants are proven to improve mental wellbeing. Texas can be a hot, harsh place to live, but some plants flourish with the full sunlight. Houston gets the brunt of both the heat and cold, making it a great place for plants. Let’s check out some of the easiest plants you can grow in Houston.

The 6 Easiest Plants To Grow In Houston

1. Lantana

Sometimes called Texas lantana because it blooms all across the state, this hardy perennial thrives in the worst soil you can find, whether it’s sandy or gravelly. It loves direct, full sun, which explains why you can see it growing wild virtually anywhere. You can identify lantana by its signature yellow, orange, and red flowers in the midsummer.

Although it’s very common, all parts of the lantana plant are poisonous to dogs and humans alike, though birds enjoy snacking on it. If you have small children or dogs, we’d suggest skipping this one or putting it in an inaccessible area.

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2. Black-Eyed Susan

Reminiscent of daisies and sunflowers, these shorter wildflowers are beloved by bees, though deer don’t like them much. We’d recommend these hearty flowers for areas that don’t get a ton of sunlight every day. Use them to fill in any blank spaces in your garden, between the bushes and other plants.

If you’re all about low-maintenance plants, look no further. Once established, they’re fairly shade tolerant and don’t need a ton of sun. Similarly, they require infrequent watering as long as they’re not bone-dry.

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3. Carrots

If you’re interested in growing your own produce, you can’t go wrong by trying carrots first. They do great all over Texas, even in the sandy areas. They generally prefer a lighter loam, but carrots do well in nearly any condition (save clay) as long as they get full sunlight. In many parts of Texas, you can grow carrots year-round, which is a great way to get some fresh veggies.

For best results starting out, plant carrots in late August to late September. Keep them watered and ensure they get full sun, and keep an eye out for pests! Rabbits and squirrels are two pests that are known to love wild carrots, but they’re not the only ones.

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4. Wild Mint

In Houston, wild mint can take a full day of sun, but you wouldn’t be remiss to let it have an afternoon break in the summers. You should grow mint in pots because it’s extremely invasive. It’ll take over a yard if you plant it and leave it unchecked, so be careful!

Pollinators love wild mint, but most people grow it to use for its calming flavor. It can be chewed or made into herbal teas, and pests like mosquitoes are known to dislike mint. In the sweltering Texas sun, wild mint can be a valuable ally.

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5. Texas Star Hibiscus

Despite the name, this flower isn’t actually native to Texas. It does well there, though, hence the name. These star-shaped flowers grow into a 4–6-foot bush that attracts hummingbirds and other valuable pollinators. Hibiscus does best in areas that get afternoon shade, and it won’t bloom as well if it gets too much direct sunlight.

Texas Star hibiscus usually dies back to the ground in the winter and grows back in the spring, but it can live year-round in Central or Southern Texas, where winters are usually mild. Before it gets cold, you can mulch around the plant’s roots to help protect it. This one is practically made for Houston gardens.

Related Read: 15 Best Flowers To Grow In Arizona (With Pictures)

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6. Amaryllis

This very striking, showy flower came from the jungles of South America and has several beautiful bright colors depending on the plant. They do very well in Central and Southern Texas, where the sun levels match their home climate. In northern Texas, you’d have to bring them inside during the frosty winters. They really don’t like the cold and can’t tolerate frost at all.

You can plant amaryllis anywhere in Houston as long as you make sure it has fertile, damp soil. It’s also not picky when it comes to soil type or sun requirements, so you can plant them anywhere. The white and yellow varieties are harder to grow in cold areas, so exercise caution.

See also:

• 15 Best Plants to Grow in Georgia (With Pictures)
• How to Store Amaryllis Bulbs (8 Simple Tips)

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Featured Image Credit: Deedster, Pixabay