In Central Texas, spring arrives with vivid color and sweet fragrance. From magenta blossoms lining bare branches to delicate wildflowers carpeting the ground, early blooming plants provide essential nectar for pollinators and beauty for our landscapes. Read on to learn more about some of the first Central Texas native plants to grace us with their brilliant blossoms in early spring.
Texas Redbud:
The Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis var. texensis) is one of Central Texas’s most beloved early spring bloomers. This small native tree typically grows 10 to 20 feet tall, making it a perfect fit for compact landscapes and smaller yards. In late winter and early spring, before its leaves even emerge, brilliant magenta-pink flowers bloom directly from its bare branches, creating a striking display that signals winter’s end. Often called the “love tree,” it later unfurls glossy, heart-shaped leaves 2 to 3 weeks later. The Texas redbud’s native range extends from southern Mexico, through Central Texas and into northeastern Mexico. This species thrives in limestone soils and is more drought-tolerant than its eastern redbud cousin, making it a great choice for water-wise landscaping. Texas redbud offers a range of ecosystem services; it attracts pollinators, hosts the Henry’s elfin butterfly, and, as a member of the legume family, improves soil fertility by fixing nitrogen.
(Photo: Bruce Leander, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
Mexican Plum:
The Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) is a small, single-trunked deciduous tree that brings both fragrance and ecological value to Central Texas landscapes. Growing anywhere from 10 to 35 feet tall, it produces clusters of delicate white blossoms from late winter to early spring, filling the air with a rich, fruity scent. Drought- and cold-tolerant, Mexican plum thrives in full sun to part shade. This species acts as the host plant for eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly, red-spotted purple butterfly, and cecropia moth larvae. Because it cannot self-pollinate, a tree growing in isolation may bloom beautifully but fail to produce fruit. Bees are its primary pollinators and essential partners in its life cycle. By mid- to late summer (July through September), the tree rewards successful pollination with yellow, red, and purple plums that are enjoyed by both people and wildlife.
(Photo: Bruce Leander, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
