by Debbie Jackson, Texas Master Certified Nurseryman

With the warmer weather, spring greets us with the lovely blooms of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush. These are only two of the native treasures that can brighten your landscape. The redbud has always been a welcome sight in the spring landscape. There are three redbud varieties that are native to Texas -- Eastern (cercis canadensis var. Canadensis), Mexican (var. Mexicana), and the Texas (var. Texensis) redbud. The dark bark of the redbud is contrasted nicely by the lovely pink flowers that adorn its branches. This small tree can take dappled shade to full sun.

The fringe tree (chionanthus virginia) is a nice tree that is native to east Texas. It is hard to do justice to such a lovely sight with words. For a couple weeks, Mother Nature treats us to the beauty of this tree in bloom. The white blossoms are in clusters that cover the tree as the leaves emerge. These lovely 5- to 10-inch clusters are borne on last year's wood; so, pruning needs to wait until after the blooms are gone. This slow growing tree can take seasonal poor drainage and enjoy being planted in a shady location.

With spring's arrival, two cousins show off the wonderful jewelry that nature has bestowed on them. Blooming first is the Texas mountain laurel (sophora secundiflora). This lovely shrub bears beautiful purple clusters of fragrant flowers. The grape soda fragrance is as much a show stopper as the drooping clusters. Not to be out done, Eve's Necklace (sophora affinis) blooms later in the spring. Glorious wisteria-like flower clusters of pink appear after it has leafed out. Either of these can be planted in a shady location, though they can withstand full sun.

A lovely spring blooming perennial that has graced many a homestead is columbine. These small nodding flowers are a wonderful sight amongst the emerging ferns and hostas that can share the same bed in a shady site. The yellow or red flowers are carried above lovely foliage that add texture for the eye to enjoy. A native perennial that would be a good neighbor for the columbine, is Louisiana phlox (phlox diviricata). This evergreen is covered with flowers for about a month. The clusters are held above the foliage and range in color from purple, pink to white.

These are just a few of many wonderful treasures that the state of Texas can call its own. If you are curious to learn more, please visit our book rack where you will find books that will help you learn more. Let me recommend Native Texas Plants by Sally Wasowski. This is an excellent addition to any Texas gardener's library.