Planting Shrubs in Fort Worth, Texas

Dwarf Yaupon holly

The Dwarf Yaupon Holly is a very common evergreen shrub in the DFW area. Dwarf Yaupons stay green year-round and need to be trimmed several times a year to keep in manicured shape. They have a moderate to fast growth rate and can reach sizes over 5’ wide by 5’ tall if not trimmed regularly. They make excellent hedgerows or can be shaped to specific shops such as spheres. They are cold-hardy in Fort Worth and rarely see damage from pests or diseases. Once established these shrubs are fairly drought tolerant.

Sunshine Ligustrum

The beautiful sunshine ligustrum with the vibrant green and yellow foliage has become increasingly popular in DFW. I’ve seen these plants installed and thrive in both full sun and shade. The main difference being the color of the foliage changing. In shade, the plants will keep a more green color and in full sun the leaves will become more lemon-lime colored. The past couple of years have been colder winters in Texas and the Sunshine Ligustrum has faired well.

Lorolpetalum

The purple fringe flower or Chinese fringe flower goes by several common names and there are many varieties of this plant. This plant comes in many varieties some that only grow 1-2 feet tall and some that grow over 8 feet wide and 8 feet tall as well as anywhere in between. The beautiful purple foliage keeps its color the whole season with pretty pink flowers in the spring. Unfortunately the cold can occasionally cause severe damage and so it’s best to cover these plants when below-freezing weather is expected.