A Walk Through My Texas Garden Beds: What’s Blooming Right Now


Looking for tips and ideas for a Texas garden? Come visit my Texas garden beds and see what’s blooming right now.

A close-up view of white allium flowers with round clusters of small flowers set against a blurred brown and green background.

This blog is full of house tours.

There are farmhouse tours and Christmas tours and spring tours and summer tours.

If you have a few extra minutes, you You can see them all here.

But you know what I haven’t shared before?

Garden tour.

Maybe because most of the time our garden beds are enough. They are fine. Nothing to pay extra attention to.

But this year? Texas has been amazing. The weather has been glorious.

We had mild temperatures and sunny afternoons and extra rain.

(A gross aside: I almost didn’t want to type that last sentence because I might jink it.)

And may it rain? They make the most beautiful June flowers.

Let’s visit my Texas garden bed.

A charming two storey "Before and after" A house with a dark roof, surrounded by lush greenery and a well-manicured lawn, beckons with a welcoming front porch and a neat path.

So here is what my garden beds look like.

wait

Just kidding.

Not where I live now.

It’s Kentucky – where the grass is always greener, and everything grows in abundance.

sigh

now? I live where flower beds struggle to survive.

A classic two-storey house with gray exterior paint colors and white trim, a welcoming pillared porch and a second-floor balcony, surrounded by lush green lawns.

Let’s start at the beginning (So we can see how far we have come).

This is the house the day we bought it back. The day we brought him back to the family.

The grass needs some work, and the front beds were overgrown.

(On a gross aside: here are plants that my dad planted—like the crape myrtle in the front left corner).

A classic two-story white colonial house is decorated with festive Christmas decorations, with red wreaths on each window and wreaths along the porch railing, set against a clear blue sky.

This was the house a few days before Christmas.

You can see we cleaned up the beds and added some boxwoods and other plants.

But look at that yard.

sigh

Double sigh.

That green stuff is basically weeds covering dirt.

The Texas heat that year was unbearable.

So we had a sprinkler system installed and seeded the yard with sun-loving bermuda.

And now?

A two-story white house with black shutters is decorated with red, white and blue patriotic bunting. Surrounded by green grass, plants and trees under a partly cloudy sky, a concrete path leads to the front door.

It looks like this.

A large white house with black shutters is decorated with red, white and blue bunting. The front yard is green and well kept, with shrubs and trees framing the house on a sunny day.

And this.

The sprinkler system brought the yard back to life, and we cleaned up the beds and defined them a bit more.

We added three layers of plants to the bed (I’ll show you specific plants in a moment).

The front bed is 10″ deep, so there is plenty of room for a row of plants.

Two diagrams show the plant arrangement near the foundation. At the top are mixed, overlapping plant types; Arranges similar plants at the bottom in smooth, evenly spaced rows with little overlap. Both include labels such as Burford holly, BW and CM.

Here are the plants we have in the left and right beds and an overview of the beds.

That crape myrtle that my father anchored in the space on the left-hand corner.

We have better boxwoods ahead.

Then Agapanthus.

Then Burford Hollys.

Here you can see three levels.

We may need to adjust the plant once it’s all grown, but for now it looks great from the street.

But the star of the show?

The beautiful Agapanthus.

Close-up of several tall, slender green stems topped with clusters of small, delicate white flowers in a garden bed with green grass and a blurred natural background.

A garden bed with clusters of white flowers and green foliage is surrounded by green grass. In the foreground are pink flowers and a dark planter, with a house and wooden railing in the blurred background.

A clump of tall, white flowering plants with long green leaves in a raised garden bed, with a gray brick wall and bushes in the background.

Meet my Ever White Agapanthus.

Why do I love him? Let me count the ways.

  • Produces large globe-shaped clusters of crisp white flowers.
  • Evergreen in warm climates, it provides year-round structure.
  • Heat-tolerant once established.
  • Deer and rabbit resistant.

Size

  • About 18-24 inches tall
  • About 18-24 inches wide
  • Flower stems usually grow above the foliage for added height and drama.

Light requirements

  • Full sun to partial shade.
  • In Texas, it often appreciates afternoon shade during the hottest months, especially in North Texas.

Bloom time

  • Blooms usually in late spring to summer.
  • Established plants may rebloom gently.

A single tall green plant with clusters of small blue flowers blooms in a garden bed with a gray wall and a blurred background of other similar plants.

It also comes in a blue variety.

We have a few Tons by picket fence in the front beds and garden beds in the back.

Personally, I like the white better because it stands out against the gray base of the house.

A flower bed filled with vibrant pink flowers and lush green leaves, surrounded by a metallic border, sits on a lawn with trees and a blurred background.

Pink flowers with yellow centers bloom on a leafy green plant in a dark gray pot, set against a blurred outdoor background.

A black pot planter filled with vibrant pink flowers sits on a concrete walkway in front of gray steps and a white brick house. Another similar planter and lantern are visible in the background.

Bright pink flowers with yellow centers bloom among lush green leaves, creating a vibrant and lively garden scene.

And of course, we have the plant that I get asked every time I feature on the blog.

My dear Diplodenia.

How do I love them? Let me count the ways:

  • Produce profuse trumpet-shaped blooms from spring to frost.
  • Handles the Texas heat and humidity like a champ.
  • More compact and manageable than the Mandevilla, it is perfect for containers and garden beds.
  • Once established, many flowers require less water than annuals.
  • Available in beautiful shades of pink, red, white and coral.
  • Adds constant color when many other plants slow down in the summer heat.

Size

      • About 12-24 inches tall
      • About 18-36 inches wide
      • Forms a mounding habit rather than climbing aggressively.

Light requirements

      • Full sun to partial shade.
      • Blooms best with at least 6 hours of sunlight.
      • In North Texas, afternoon shade can help flowers stay fresh during the intense summer heat.

Bloom time

      • Spring through the first frost.
      • One of the longest blooming plants in my garden.

water

      • Moderate water when establishing.
      • Drought-tolerant once mature.
      • Prefers well-drained soil and does not like “wet feet”.

A young green elephant ear plant with large, heart-shaped leaves grows in a garden bed surrounded by other green plants. The background is softly blurred.

A close-up of a large green leaf showing its central vein and delicate, radiating vein pattern, with subtle variations in color and texture.

Large, heart-shaped green leaves of a taro plant growing out of the ground, surrounded by brown green grass and other plants in the background.

The right side of the bed gets a little more shade.

Here we have an existing hosta and some other grasses.

And this year, we added elephant ears grown from bulbs.

How do I love them? Let me count the ways:

  • Creates instant tropical drama with enormous heart-shaped leaves.
  • Once the weather warms up it grows very quickly.
  • Texas thrives in heat and humidity.
  • Add bold texture that contrasts beautifully with flowering plants.
  • Make even a small garden bed feel lush and established.
  • Many parts of Texas return year after year.

Size

  • Usually 3-6 feet tall
  • 3-5 feet wide
  • Some varieties can grow even under ideal conditions.

Light requirements

  • Depending on the variety, part shade to full sun.
  • In North Texas, many elephant ears appreciate the afternoon shade.
  • Constant humidity helps them tolerate more sun.

water

  • Prefer moisture and regular watering.
  • Requires soil that is constantly moist.
  • Can tolerate periods of heavy rain better than many garden plants.

A small rose bush with white blooms and green leaves grows in a lush garden bed, surrounded by other shrubs and greenery in the background.

We also have roses all over the yard in garden beds.

Rose varieties like this one, as well as tons of different varieties of knock out roses.

I usually trim them once a year and then leave them alone, keeping the soil moist where they are planted.

A classic two-storey house with gray exterior paint colors and white trim, a welcoming pillared porch and a second-floor balcony, surrounded by lush green lawns.

Here’s where we started.

Ten years ago, we bought back the house and the journey began.

If you squint, can you see it?

Can you see that green grass and those beautiful flower beds?

A two-story white house with black shutters is decorated with red, white and blue patriotic bunting. Surrounded by green grass, plants and trees under a partly cloudy sky, a concrete path leads to the front door.

It looks like this now.

The journey has been fun, and I love this little house so much.

As someone once said, some of the best rooms are outdoor spaces.

So glad you traveled through me. 🙂

Close-up of white allium flowers with green stems, covered with text: “The Best Tips for the Texas Garden” and “thistlewoodfarms.com” on a red banner at the bottom.

Want to learn how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my five best secrets.

Date Posted: June 5, 2026

Written by: KariAnne Wood





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