As people continue to move to New Braunfels from across the country, they bring with them their own preferences for landscaping. But a lush green yard that requires lots of water and care might not be the right solution for the unique environment of Central Texas and New Bruanfels.
Lauren Strack, assistant manager at the Headwaters at the Comal, said there are plenty of options for homeowners looking to decorate their yards with plants that will have minimal impact on the local environment and might just save homeowners money in the long term.
“I would say, certainly look into xeriscaping,” she said. Xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that relies on drought-tolerant plants and often features rock and gravel instead of green grass.
“This is more of a desert climate, and green grass yards are not something that would be found naturally,” Strack said. “So, I would encourage people to replace some of that grass with sand or rock.”
But that doesn’t mean a homeowner’s yard needs to be all rock. She said there is plenty of information available to residents through the Native Plant Society of Texas as well as at the Headwaters at the Comal.
“Mealy Blue Sage is a great plant,” she said. “It gets pretty big and showy and it has nice color. It really supports pollinators and so I like that plant. The best part of native plants is they aren’t very labor intensive. They don’t require a lot of watering.”
And living in the Hill Country, despite its sometimes dry environment, can still support some native grasses sustainably.
“There are some really beautiful grasses. … A Lindheimer Muhly or Indian grass will give color throughout the year,” Strack said.
Beyond general aesthetics, Strack said focusing on native plants when landscaping can also save money through rebates.
“I would suggest they check out the rebates [New Braunfels Utilities] has,” she said. “There are turf removal rebates, irrigation zone removal rebates. If you are looking to add trees to your yard, there is a list of native, drought-tolerant trees. If you buy something off that list, that’s available for a rebate too.”
Strack said the Native Plant Society has classes at different levels throughout the year to help residents identify what kind of plants work well under what conditions.
For information about the Native Plant Society of Texas, visit https://npsot.org/wp/lindheimer/.
For information about the Headwaters at the Comal, visit https://headwatersatthecomal.com/. Information about rebates can be found at https://nbutexas.com/rebates/