In this comprehensive, richly illustrated guide, author George Oxford Miller provides the "how-to," "when-to," and "what-to" for gardeners, landscapers, and homeowners throughout Texas.  Have you ever planted a beautiful—and expensive—shrub in your yard and watched it slowly die because it was in the wrong location? Insufficient sunlight, too much water, improper soil, or too hot an exposure can turn the nursery-perfect specimen into an eyesore. This all-in-one DIY guide helps you beautify your yard using low-maintenance native plants specifically adapted to your local growing conditions. Whether as foundation hedges, mass plantings, or accent shrubs, Texas’ vast offering of native species can bring year-round beauty to any lawn space. Covering wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, cacti, and groundcovers, this book selects the species that combine ornamental qualities, growth habit, adaptability, and year-round beauty for the highest landscape value. Chapters include photos, maps, charts, and design samples to provide guidelines for species selection and planting, ongoing maintenance, landscape design, and water and energy conservation. Plant descriptions provide detailed habitat requirements for hundreds of native plants, and photos illustrate how each plant looks in the landscape. In Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas, new and experienced gardeners alike will find the facts and advice needed to choose the plants best adapted for their particular landscape. The ornamental beauty of Texas’ native species and the economic advantages of using plants adapted to the local climate demonstrate that the best for our landscapes often comes from our own backyards. And perhaps most importantly, using native plants encourages the repair and preservation of natural plant communities and the wildlife they shelter. Gardeners use native plants for many reasons. In addition to providing year-round beauty with relatively little maintenance, landscaping with native plants contributes to the repair of the natural ecosystem and brings us closer to our environment. With such a diverse and spectacular array of native plant material available to the Texas gardener, the opportunities for creative and attractive landscapes are seemingly endless. In this updated edition of Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas , George Oxford Miller offers the definitive guide to choosing the best of the best among Texas native plants. Covering wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, cacti, and groundcovers, this comprehensive, richly illustrated book selects the species that combine ornamental qualities, growth habit, adaptability, low maintenance, and beauty for the highest landscape value. The illustrations, maps, and charts provide guidelines for species selection and planting, ongoing maintenance, landscape design, and water and energy conservation. In-depth plant profiles describe the habitat requirements for more than 400 native plant species, subspecies, and varieties, with stunning photographs illustrating how each plant looks and responds to landscape conditions. As the interest in native-plant landscaping and xeriscaping continues to expand, this is a book that belongs on the shelf of every Texas gardener and landscaper. About the Author Environmental photojournalist George Oxford Miller is a fourth-generation Texan and third-generation nurseryman. He is well known for his many magazine articles, books, and photography on the plants and animals of Texas and the Southwest. His work has appeared in Texas Highways , Texas Parks and Wildlife , Living Bird , Wildlife Conservation ,and in publications of the National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club. He is author of several books, including Landscaping with Native Plants of the Southwest , Landscaping with Native Plants of Southern California , and A Field Guide to Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of Texas . Environmental photojournalist George Oxford Miller is writer, photographer, and third-generation nurseryman. He is well known for his many magazine articles, books, and photography on the plants and animals of Texas and the Southwest. His work has appeared in periodicals such as Living Bird , Texas Parks and Wildlife , and Wildlife Conservation and in publications of the National Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club. He is author or co-author of several books, including Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas , A Field Guide to Wildlife of Texas and the Southwest , and The Ozarks: The People, the Mountains, the Magic . Miller resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.