Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We are always glad to welcome beginning gardeners. To help put you on what we consider the right track, please read the following of our How-To Articles:

Using Native Plants

A Guide to Native Plant Gardening

Next, let us give you a quick tutorial on how to find trees native to your area that suit your requirements and also what insects those trees may attract. Go to our Recommended Species section, and click on "East Texas" on the map. The Recommended Species lists on our website consists of plants that should do well in the indicated areas, and are commercially available. When you click on East Texas on the map, you will get a list of 133 plants, with pictures, of those that fit the criteria of being native to that area. Next, on the sidebar on the right hand side of that page, under General Appearance, click on "tree." If you know what light exposure your plant will have (shade, part shade or shade) indicate that on the Light Requirements drop-down menu. There are other specifications, including bloom time and color, and soil moisture, that you can use to narrow down your selections even more. Clicking only on "Trees" gave us a list of 45 trees to choose from.

For our example, we selected Aesculus pavia (Scarlet buckeye), and by reading the entire page on that plant, we learned that it grows from 12 to 36 ft. in height, blooms red and yellow from March to May, is deciduous, likes acidic soil, has medium water needs, and likes to grow in part shade. Its flowers attract hummingbirds and bees. We will list some more samples of trees you could use, and you can follow the links to the page on each individual plant.

On the subject of moths, here is an article on What Plants Attract Moths? from North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension, which points out that moths like night-blooming plants. There are some yuccas that depend on a certain type of moth for pollination, but we could find no trees (which doesn't mean there aren't any) that specifically attract moths.

You can use this same method to select other types of plants-herbaceous blooming plants, shrubs, vines, succulents, and ferns-for your garden.

Trees for the Katy, TX Area:

Aesculus pavia (Scarlet buckeye)

Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)

Chionanthus virginicus (White fringetree)

Crataegus marshallii (Parsley hawthorn)

Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon)

Prunus caroliniana (Cherry laurel)

Vaccinium arboreum (Farkleberry)

Viburnum rufidulum (Rusty blackhaw viburnum)

From Our Native Plant Image Gallery:

Aesculus pavia

Cercis canadensis var. texensis

Chionanthus virginicus

Crataegus marshallii

Ilex vomitoria

Prunus caroliniana

Vaccinium arboreum

Viburnum rufidulum