Houston Landscaping Ideas

GO ORGANICYou may have already made the switch to eating organic foods, but what about your yard? Are you still using chemicals to keep your landscape looking good? Take a trip to Bayou Bend to see fine gardens that are maintained organically. The gardens at Bayou Bend are operated by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and date back as far as 1927. They are the only formal public gardens in Texas currently practicing organic gardening. Chemical free gardening is on the rise in many areas of the country, but can seem daunting at first. The gardeners at Bayou Bend are full of knowledge pertaining to the best organic practices for the Houston area.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

INSTALL A KID-FRIENDLY WATER FEATUREWater features are a wonderful addition to any landscape, but often parents worry about their children’s safety. This unique water feature, located at the Buddy Carruth Playground within Hermann Park, is not only safe, but also fun for kids. Known as a kugel ball, it is a large granite sphere that floats atop a thin film of water. The ball can easily be spun by children, even though it weighs thousands of pounds. A similar water feature could be created on a smaller scale at your own home, or you could opt for a splash pad, which is another kid friendly option.

Get more ideas for backyard play areas

Hermann Park Conservancy

TRY RAISED BEDSAnother popular garden movement gaining steam is home vegetable gardening. Many homeowners are converting a portion of their landscape into a kitchen garden complete with raised beds. To see raised beds in action, visit the sensory garden at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Their raised beds are built of dry-stacked stone and have organic shapes. However, you can build your raised beds with wood, steel or other materials. Raised vegetable beds provide a better growing environment and make it easier to harvest veggies without bending over or squatting.

Learn more about raised bed gardens

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

PLANT A POTThis exuberant garden was planted outside the building of a news station. Before the landscape was just ordinary and now it is invigorating. A pot planted with succulents serves as the garden’s focal point. The landscape was installed by A.J.’s Landscaping & Design, Inc. and recognized with a Bronze award from the Texas Nursery & Landscape Association in 2011. To recreate this look at home, select a wide low pot and plant a tall plant in the center with low growing plants around its base. To make the pot stand out, place it high up on a column or piece of furniture, rather than at ground-level.

Get tips for container gardens

KPRC Local 2

LET NATURE TAKE ITS COURSETexas is famous for its wildflowers, and Houston is no exception. This beautiful meadow of bluebonnets can be seen at the Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum at Rice University. If you have a large property, you can let nature take its course and put on a show each spring as they have done here. Since bluebonnets are native to Texas, they can be grown in rocky soils and are hardy in drought conditions. They are planted from seed in the fall and will produce flowers the following spring. Growing native plants has become popular in the last few years because it is much more sustainable than growing varieties that are not adapted to the local climate.

Get more information on landscaping with native plants

The Lynn R. Lowrey Arboretum of Rice University

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