My Azaleas are not doing well? Is this normal for Parker County? Yes! Parker County soils are too alkiline for Azaleas or any of the plants in that family. Unless you are prepared to do extraordinary bed preparation and continue with special care for their life expectancy. Or grow them in containers with the correct soil PH. Azaleas need acid soils. You will have fewer headaches by choosing plants that are native or adapted to our area.
If you choose to plant azaleas, you may want to plant them in pots where the soil can be monitored (should be planted in equal amounts of brown sphagnum peat moss and shredded bark mulch). Give them morning sun and afternoon shade; water them regularly because the porous mix will dry out rapidly. Be prepared to water more often than you would if the plants were set directly in the soil.
Azaleas can range from 2 to 6 feet so think about choosing plants that have a similar look for your landscape. The following are plants you may want to consider for your landscape. Some can be used in place of azaleas and some do not have that look but will work well in Parker County.
Region 4 - North Central Texas (Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denton, Wichita Falls)
Note - Plants with number 7 are adaptable to most areas of Texas
|
Common name |
Scientific name |
Adapted for |
Exposure |
Notes |
|
|
||||
|
Dwarf burford holly |
Ilex cornuta rotunda burfordii |
7 |
E |
Glossy evergreen foliage |
|
Dwarf Chinese holly |
Ilex cornuta rotunda |
7 |
E |
Glossy evergreen foliage |
|
Dwarf yaupon holly1 |
Ilex vomitoria nana |
7 |
E |
Glossy evergreen foliage |
|
Nandina: harbour dwarf, gulf stream, nana |
Nandina sp. |
7 |
E |
Reddish evergreen foliage |
|
Red yucca1 |
Hesperaloe parvifolia |
7 |
S |
Red flowers on tall spikes |
|
Rosemary |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
4 |
S |
Fragrant bluish-green foliage; blue flowers; herb |
|
|
||||
|
Barberry |
Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea |
4 |
S |
Red evergreen foliage |
|
Bridal wreath spirea |
Spirea cantoniensis (S. reevesiana) |
7 |
E |
Sprawling; fern-like; white spring blooms |
|
China rose |
Rosa chinensis |
4 |
S |
Hardy; long-blooming; pest resistant; varieties: Old Blush (pink) and Cramoisi Superior (red) |
|
Dwarf burford holly |
Ilex cornuta rotunda burfordii |
7 |
E |
Glossy evergreen foliage |
|
Dwarf palmetto1 |
Sabal minor |
4 |
E |
Trunkless, bushy palm |
|
Flowering quince |
Chaenomeles japonica |
7 |
S |
Deciduous shrub; spring blooming (red, pink, white or orange) |
|
Glossy abelia |
Abelia grandiflora |
7 |
E |
Bronze evergreen foliage and white flowers |
|
Grayleaf cotoneaster |
Cotoneaster glaucophylla |
4 |
E |
Sprawling evergreen shrub; dusty gray foliage |
|
Indian hawthorne |
Raphiolepis indica |
7 |
E |
Spring flowering; blue berries in fall; evergreen |
|
Japanese boxwood |
Buxus japonica |
7 |
E |
Evergreen foliage |
|
Juniper |
Juniperus sp. |
4 |
S |
Tough, evergreen shrub; many varieties available |
|
Nandina compact |
Nandina domestica compacta |
7 |
E |
Reddish evergreen foliage and red fall berries |
|
Tea rose |
Rosa odorata |
4 |
S |
Hardy; long-blooming; pest resistant; excellent varieties: Mrs. B.R. Cant (rose), Mrs. Dudley Cross (yellow) and Duchesse de Brandant (pink) |
1 Texas native 2 S = Sun; Sh = Full to partial shade; E = Either
Chart from aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/Xeriscape