Landscaping classes offered in San Antonio

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Classes teaching landscaping with native plants will be offered in San Antonio this Spring at three locations and in two different skill levels.

sanantonioLearn to identify native Texas trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses that grow well in San Antonio. Understand the ecological benefits these plants provide to wildlife, water quality and soil and discover the human benefits that native plants offer such as water conservation, run-off reduction and low maintenance. Become a better steward of the land in your yard, at the jobsite and in wildlife habitats.

Join a Native Landscape Certificate class this spring. Students are expected to pass a native plant identification exam and will receive a Native Landscape Certificate at the end of the class.

Classes are open to the public and are geared toward homeowners as well as landscape professionals.

Level 1 is an introductory-level one-day class, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, with no prerequisites.

  • March 16 (Friedrich Park)
  • April 13 (San Antonio River Authority)

Level 2  is for those who have completed Level 1 and want to learn more. It is a two-day class,  8:00 to 5:00 Saturday and 9:00 to noon on Sunday:

  • May 4-5 (San Antonio River Authority)
  • May 11-12 (Casa Navarro)

To attend print out the registration form and send along with your check to:
NLCP
326 E. Dewey Place
San Antonio, TX 78212

More information on the classes here. For questions, contact Melissa Miller npsotnlcp@aol.com or 210-733-0034

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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: Bill Hopkins

About the Region

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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