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Texas Gardening

What should I put in my stock tank planter?

9 years ago

finally ready to put a plant in this silly thing. It's up against the west wall of the house; gets part sun and part shade. El Paso, TX, Zone 8a. Among the contenders:

dwarf pampas grass (my original thought)

bamboo (would have to water a lot!)

Texas Mountain Laurel

a big agave

this gets morning/mid day sun for several hours, but shade in the afternoon. I'm concerned about the amount of shade. -- Suggestions?

Featured Answer

violetwest
Original Author

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Here's my little Sophora secundifllora planted/ day 1. Thanks for you suggestions -- may get a second, smaller container for next to it and will consider some of them.

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Comments (13)

TxMarti
9 years ago
Did you drill holes in the bottom for drainage, or will it be more like a bog when watered?
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
yep, holes drained
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Congratulations on your beautiful new home! It might look very nice, but understated, to have a large wooden box planter at the far right end from the entry door, with the wood a decent match to either your front door, or your columns. You could consider a small tree-like shrub to grow in the box there over the next several years, something like the "Little Ollie" which is a dwarf type of non-fruiting (i.e. no mess!) olive bush. It gets about 6 feet tall at maturity so it wouldn't outgrow the space, and the silvery undersides of the green leaves would be so nice with the gray in your stone and siding. The second thing you could consider is a complementary piece of outdoor sculpture to put under the window. Just keep your eyes out for the next year or two until you see something that is meaningful, either for your personal heritage, or a special regional theme of the area of your new home. The image of a nice piece of low-format art in front of the window, and a large but quiet container tree at the end of the porch seems simple but inviting to me.
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I think everybody gave you sufficient reason to keep them and I think you should keep them, too. But in the future if you don't want them (or you have home decoration, appliance, or building material that you don't need and is still a good condition) you can donate them to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
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bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Heard of horsetail reed grown in a Plano stock tank ( 5th picture down). Though may be better options for El Paso.
TxMarti
9 years ago
What about a tecoma stans or Caesalpinia mexicana? They're both pretty and drought tolerant.
PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
I second the Caesalpinia mexicana or my favorite Caesalpinia pulcherrima It should be something of a focal point next to the gate.
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
that might look nice; we have a lot of those around. Wouldn't that need full sun though?
PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
I have a thriving Pride of Barbados that gets no more than 3-4 hours of sun. I live in an oak forest.
Vulture61
9 years ago
An agave won't need water and would look good all year long. Try to get a really striking one, like the ones that have yellow, or white or light silver. Use some type of gravel or rock around the plant to give it a polished finish. If the thorns at the tip of the leaves become a concern, you can tip them off periodically. Another option could be Hesperaloe. You could even plant different colors of the same plant. I know they come with pink, red and yellow flowers. Just an idea...
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
still leaning toward a Texas Mountain Laurel. I think the purple blooms would look good there. Might get a bit big for the space though.
PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
It will be years before a Texas Mountain Laurel gets too big :-)
loreleicomal
9 years ago
bamboo muhly is very pretty too.
violetwest
Original Author
9 years ago
you're right, but I don't think I've seen it in my nurseries. Too late anyway -- mountain laurel is in! Will post pic soon

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