My deep felt Condolences go out to you. It is a great thing for you to want to make a Memorial Garden in your brothers honor.
There are many plants to choose from. Being that you want low maintenance I would go with native plants. You can have Texas Sage there are two types of these I like the ones that are fuller bush type, yucca, Knock out roses, American Beautyberry tree, Fountain Grasses, Salvias are nice plants but the best ones for low maintenance are the evergreen you don't have to worry about to many seedlings. Where with annually salvias reseed and you'll have a ton of babies. Irises are very easy. Mexican petunias short and tall but they do spread fast and take over the garden. Se dums are very easy, cactus like plant's without thorns very little water needed. Rock rose is a good plant too. If your able to make it to one of our swaps I'm sure there are some of us that could give you some of these plants. I have Rock Rose and Brazilian Rock Rose
These are some plants I can think of that do not need much care and low water. Only thing is when you first plant them they will need watering till they get established.
I'm sure others will chime in and have other great ideas.
The best to you, Barb

Here is a link that might be useful: weston gardens start page

You must miss your brother very much. Your garden will be a very special place.

I don't know where you are at in Texas and I also do not know how old you are but I have a sugestion for you. As a Matter of fact, Barb has made the suggestion also! If your a minor then you'll definetly need your parents permission and help.

There are many plant swaps held in Texas. If you go over to the exchange pages and look at the threads, you will surely find one that is close to you. I will include a link to make it easy to find the first time.

Plants can be awfully expensive, so if you think you could make it to a plant swap we would be able to give you plenty of plants to help you honor your brother. We'll also be able to help you pick out the best plants for the area you've chosen and tell you how to get them going.

I wish you the best and feel free to ask questions as you find plants you're interested in.

Sincerely

Rebecca

Here is a link that might be useful: Here are the exchange pages

I am so sorry about your brother.
Could you tell us which part of Texas you will have this memorial? I live in Northeast Texas. If I had a memorial in a shady spot I would like a weeping japanese maple like 'Waterfall' or 'Red Dragon' or 'Tamekura'. (I may have spelled that last one wrong, the most important thing would be to have one that was a weeping shape - just ask the garden center employees and they could help you out with that) I would plant daffodils underneath it and set a bench to one side. Japanese maples are very peaceful to me. The daffodils will come up every spring from here on out even if they are neglected. The japanese maple would need water from time to time, especially the first year or two in the ground.
If it was a memorial in the sun then you couldn't put a japanese maple. Maybe you could put a prunus mume. They are shaped very pretty and have blooms during the winter months. Or a sweet olive. The scientific name is Osmanthus fragrans. The scent is very sweet and would be great for a memorial. In sun or shade I would plant the daffodils.
These are just suggestions. They may not work where you live.
The best suggestion would probably be to go to a garden center near you and ask someone there.

I agree, we need a little more information on where you live, just a town name will be enough. The reason everyone is asking is because it will affect what plants we recommend. I am in Belton and we have alkaline soils. If you are futher east you may have acid soils. There are plants that can grow in either type, but most plants are only happy in one type of soil. Rainfall will also vary depending upon where you live. You could be in areas with deep soils or very shallow soils over limestone. We want to make sure and give you good advice. Oh, it would also help to know if the garden will be in full sun, shade or part shade. That also affects what will grow best for you.

If you are close to Belton, I would be glad to root a number of plants for you to use. I have lots of Texas Natives in my yard that need almost no care once they get established. I am also a master gardener and we have lots of native or adapted plants in our greenhouse. If you live close to me, I will be glad to help you with the plants.

My son was a boy scout here in Belton with Troop 117. He got his eagle his junior year. He worked at Tahauya BS Camp several years and then one year at Philmont. He is now a senior in college, but had a great time in scouts. Will this garden be one of your scout projects?

I have a very special friend that passed away last Friday. I am having a Texas Dogwood tree planted in her memory at our Master Gardener Demonstration Gardens. Texas Dogwoods grow better in south Texas than the Eastern Dogwoods.

Also I forgot to tell you that the herb rosemary is known as an herb of remembrance. In the past it was used at funerals, thrown into the grave and given to the grieved as a sign the deceased would not be forgotten. Best of all it is very easy to grown. One of the best varieties is Arp Rosemary named after the little Texas town of Arp. It can is hardy to zone 7, and some believe zone 6. So it should grown anywhere in Texas except maybe the panhandle.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Condolences to you and your family. What a nice gesture to plant a memorial garden in your brother's honor.
I think Iris are very pretty and would look nice in a memorial garden, and do well in sun or partial sun. There are some nice white lilies (lilium longiflorum) that return here in DFW reliably for partial sun. If it's sunny, one of the bush roses like fairy or seafoam would look nice. I really would help to know where in zone 8 you are and if the garden will be sunny or shady. I like the idea of the Japanese Maple too, and also the rosemary, but keep in mind that you want to use plants that work in the soil and moisture and light you have available if you want it to be low maintenance.

txscout - I am so sorry to hear about your brother. I have three boys in scouting (two are boy scouts and one is a bear scout) and am wondering if this is your Eagle project? I really think you need to think about things your brother liked. What was his favorite color(s)? Maybe use plants that flower in his favorite colors. Did he like birds or butterflies? Plant things that attract birds and/or butterflies. Did he like cooking? Herbs mixed in with flowering perennials might be good. There might be a themed garden idea in the works here. As the other posters mentioned, we would need to know what type of soil and climate you are in because Texas is such a big state that there is a wide variety of conditions (amount of sun the site receives, soil, lowest temps in the winter, etc.) that will be able to help us help you with your planting decisions. In the meantime, here is another website that might be helpful where you can search for plants.

Another thing you can always start on is amending the soil with organic matter. Remove grass from the area and mix in compost or other organic material such as landscape mix, soil conditioner, etc. to raise the bed a few inches. Then use stone or other edging to separate the new bed from the lawn area. Then when the temperatures start to warm up and plants become available in the nurseries, you will be able to plant. Be sure to mulch around your new plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Smartscape

I am in Allen, Texas. Thanks for all the advice.

I'm in Allen too. If you need any other questions answered about the garden, I am a member of the Allen Garden Club and you can e-mail me at allengardenclub@yahoo.com. Don't worry - I'm not a stalker or anything. I have three boys in scouts and am a den leader for my cub scout and merit badge counselor for the other two - been in the scouting thing for over 7 years now.