• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Open Easter Sunday 10a-3p
  • 713-861-5702
  • Location

Buchanan's Native PlantsBuchanan's Native Plants

Houston's favorite garden center devoted to Texas native plants and organic gardening.

Hide Search
Buchanan's Logo
  • Plants
        • Gift Card
        • Spread the love of gardening with your friends and family. Purchase a Buchanan’s gift card here!

        • Plants Overview
        • Annuals
        • Cacti and Succulents
        • Citrus and Fruit
        • Herbs and Vegetables
        • House Plants
        • Perennials
        • Roses
        • Shrubs
        • Texas Natives
        • Trees
        • Vines
  • Lawn and Garden
        • Outdoor garden with pergola
        • Dedicated to native plants and organic gardening,  we are experienced in helping customers create a lovely outdoor setting with the best quality native plants and environmentally safe organic products available today.

        • Lawn and Garden
        • Soils, Mulch and Amendments
        • Fertilizer
        • Garden Tools and Accessories
        • Pest, Weed and Fungus control
        • Birding
  • House and Home
        • wisteria
        • From entryways to vase fillers, we’ve curated a selection of unique home decor, and fashion items from around the world.  We believe your home should be as beautiful as your garden and with Buchanan’s — it’s easy for your style to blossom.

        • Boutique

        • House and Home
        • Fashion and Fragrance
        • Indoor Gardening
        • Kids
        • Purchase a gift card
        • Outdoor Living

        • Fountains
        • Outdoor Decor
        • Pottery
  • Shop Online
    • Purchase plants
    • Purchase a gift card
    • Gift Card Ordering Information
  • Resources
        • Buchanan's How To Video
        • Tips and Resources

          Resources to help you create the garden of your dreams. From how-to videos, monthly tips, and a comprehensive plant library – explore what Buchanan’s has to offer.

        • Gardening Articles
        • Gardening Calendar
        • Gardening Guides
        • Gardeners’ Rewards
        • Helpful Resources
        • How to Videos
        • Plant Library
        • Soil and Mulch Calculator
  • News
    • This Week at Buchanan’s
    • Events, Seminars, and Workshops
  • About
        • Buchanan’s Native Plants has been serving Houston gardeners since 1986. Located in the historic Houston Heights, the garden center is dedicated to native plants and organic gardening.  You will find the best selections of hardy natives as well as perennials, herbs, vegetables, trees, shrubs & roses — all suited to the Houston climate.

        • About Us
          • Buchanan’s History
        • Our Team
        • Careers
        • Donation Request
        • FAQ
        • Contact Us
  • Show Search
Home » Blog » Native Plants » 5 Hardy Native Shrubs for Houston

5 Hardy Native Shrubs for Houston

After a hard freeze, we often see damage to plants that had survived normal winter weather. When that happens, it’s useful to look around your neighborhood and other landscapes to see what shrubs not only survived, but also look good. They are likely to be natives. Here are a few of our favorite native shrubs that are sure to survive the next hard freeze.

1

Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera)

Southern Wax Myrtle is a multi-trunked, evergreen shrub that can reach 20 ft. in height. Light olive-green foliage has a spicy fragrance. Female plants produce pale blue berries in the winter that were once used to make fragrant candles. Makes an excellent screen plant or a tall hedge. Prefers moist soil and full sun to part shade. There is also a dwarf variety that stays about 4’ tall by 4’ wide.

Southern Wax Myrtle | Myrica cerifera
Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
2

Dwarf Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’)

The Dwarf Yaupon Holly is an adapted native. It is a hardy, attractive compact landscape shrub that reaches 3-4’ in height and width. Like its native relative, Yaupon Holly, it is evergreen and deer resistant.  It is a popular landscape foundation plant and can be used for a low hedge.

Dwarf Yaupon Holly | Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'
Dwarf Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’)
3

Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) 

Virginia Sweetspire is a small flowering shrub that is native to the southeast United States. The mound-shaped, semi-evergreen deciduous shrub reaches 3 to 6 ft. Fragrant white, flower spikes droop on arching branches. Leaves turn red to purple in fall and persist well into the winter. It prefers moist soil and tolerates part shade. Most effective in massed plantings as opposed to a single specimen.

Virginia Sweetspire
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
4

Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)

Texas Sage, also known as Purple Sage or Cenizo, is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that can reach 5-6 ft. tall (sometimes taller) and 4-6 ft. in width. Leaves are silvery gray to greenish. Flowers are violet to purple or pink and appear intermittently from spring to fall, usually after a rainstorm. Extremely drought tolerant and thrives in full sun or part shade. Loved by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Texas Sage | Leucophyllum frutescens
Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)
5

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

American Beautyberry is a deciduous shrub that often grows 3-5 ft. tall and usually just as wide. It can be allowed to grow freely or can be pruned back in spring to maintain a more compact plant. Its most striking feature is the abundant clusters of glossy, iridescent-purple fruit which appear on arching branches in the fall and winter. The berries are not only beautiful, they are attractive food for many species of birds. 

American Beautyberry | Callicarpa americana
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Visit Buchanan’s Native Plants today and our native plant experts will help you pick out the right plants for your garden.

Filed Under: Native Plants, Trees & Shrubs

Woman Holding A Box With Herbs In Her Hands

Tips

Our Monthly To-Do List For Your Garden

This month

Store Address and Hours

Buchanan’s Native Plants
611 East 11th Street
Houston, Texas 77008

713-861-5702

Hours: 9 am – 6 pm
Open Every Day – Monday – Sunday

Stay in touch

Receive our weekly newsletter containing the latest specials, up-coming events and seminars.

* indicates required

Connect on Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Tiktok

We love your garden®

Copyright © 1999 - 2023 Buchanan's Native Plants, All Rights Reserved.

  • Return Policy
  • Privacy Policy