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Bridal Veil - Spirea

My grandma called it bridal veil but ask your garden nursery for spirea. This sun loving perennial bush has arching branches that give it a fountain shape and grow up to 20 feet at maturity. Often trained against a wall to simulate a climber, they remain green year round and burst into cascades of white clusters in early spring. After being established spirea can tolerate dry soil. Here in Central Texas I suggest the species recommended for water conservation.

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Chinese Fringe Flower - Lorapetalum

A member of the witch hazel family, the lorapetalum originated in China. Blooming heaviest in the spring these arching loosely layered shrubs come in dwarf varieties as well as the 5 foot tall versions.Depending upon where you want them in the landscape you can find a size to fit your needs. The leaves are either light green or burgundy and the delicate fringed blossoms come in watermelon to hot pink! These wonderful plants are the triple threat, sun loving, drought tolerant and pest resistant!

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Forsythia - Golden Bells

Wow, this is one of those "jack and the beanstalk" plants that just..wants..to..grow! A decidious perennial that loses it's leaves in winter to be replaced and covered by brilliant, neon yellow blossoms. You may even have run across specimens in a cemetery or deserted homesteads as they require no care. No care that is except whether to prune or just let them go. In any event forsythia are great alone or magnificent in hedgerows.

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Pittosporum

Pittosporum are evergreen shrubs that can also be grown to the size of small trees. The bushes are rounded in shape with dark green, shiny foliage that makes an attractive foundation plant with clusters of white, sweetly scented flowers in spring. Some varieties produce red berries in the fall/winter months while flourishing in dry conditions the rest of the year.

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Wisteria

Considered a woody perennial vine, wisteria has been part of the south for generations. The growth pattern of wisteria is well, aggressive to say the least. If you have a sunny location and a strong structural support, you will be rewarded with cascades of fragrant lavender blossoms so heavy, they resemble grapes hanging on the vine. The scent is like no other, as subtle as it is sweet. Again, a heat lover and very long lived, wisteria is normally used as a specimen plant because...one is enough!

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Lady Banksia Rose

This is the only rose I know of that looks like something else all year, then in spring puts on quite a show. Looking more like an evergreen spirea bush with long skinny branches and drooping leaves, this plant grows vigorously (10 ft. per year) and then blooms the one time in early spring. Plants come in two colors, yellow and white, and because they grow so quickly can be used effectively to screen out an unpleasant view or create a breathtaking once a year display! Banksia's are not fussy about soil or fertilizer so you can set it in the ground and forget about it.

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Texas Redbud - Cersis Candensis

The redbud is my all time favorite as a harbinger of spring. There isn't any fresher color combination than the tender light green of new grass contrasted with the vibrant voilet-red flower buds of this native tree. Redbud's are slow growers and have a very distinctive heart shaped leaf carried in an open, airy branch structure. They grow well in Central Texas under most soil and sun conditions. Because they are so versatile they also make great understory specimens in a semi-shaded location.

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Texas Mountain Laurel - Sophora Secundiflora

The Texas mountain laurel is a slow growing, small multi-trunked tree that does well in limestone soil. It is drought tolerant and native from Central Texas to the Davis Mountains. The glossy green leaves are present all year and in spring blossom with racemes of lavender purple, pea like flowers. The scent reminds me of grape nehi or koolaid. Mountain laurel's don't transplant well, but are available in nurseries and fairly easy to grow from seed.

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Trumpet Vine - Campsis Radicans

It's hard to chose just ten, but I have to include creeping trumpet vine. It's a rapid growth, clinging vine that produces orange, trumpet shaped flowers not just once but all year! It's a tough plant for hot, dry locations and just superb on a fence or arbor. The early spring blooms attracts hummingbirds and butterflies as well as other beneficial insects to your garden!