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Native Plant Society of Texas

Guadalupe Chapter

Guadalupe NICE Nursery Partners

[ Natives Improve & Conserve Environments]

Texas is a large, diverse state, so plants that thrive in one region may not be the best choices elsewhere. And imported plants are never the answer: they require more care and water, and often our birds, bugs and butterflies don’t even recognize them as food. The Native Plant Society of Texas created Operation NICE to help gardeners find native plants that work best in specific environments.

Our NICE committee designs easy to maintain ornamental gardens that show off the beauty of our Texas native plants, and also attract and feed our wonderful native birds and butterflies.  Being indigenous to our immediate area, once planted, these gardens are a snap to maintain.  Our partner nurseries (listed below) try to maintain the plants in stock.

NICE promotes these gardens and the plants in them through this website, newspaper and magazine articles, signs and displays at points of sale, and through public speaking engagements. Check the ‘Garden Plans’ tab in this section to see the gardens the committee has designed so far.

NICE recommended plants may be found at:

Maldonado Garden Center – 3011 US Hwy 90 West, Seguin – 830- 372-3879
The Green Gate – 990 South SH 123, Seguin – 830-372-4060

Green Jay Gardens – 100 Elm Grove Rd and HWY 46, Seguin – 830-433-4040

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason