High Plains Gardening

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Welcome to High Plains Gardening, the free, non-commercial, gardening information website for the Texas High Plains region and surrounding area!

The purpose of this website is to promote a culture of gardening within the Texas High Plains Region by offering information on an easy and successful way to garden. My hope is that many more people will enjoy gardening, and gardening success, in the Texas Panhandle.

My Vision — Gateway to Southwest Gardens

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I have several goals, or visions, for the Texas High Plains region. I envision:

  • The Texas High Plains region will be known as “Gateway to Southwest Gardens”;
  • Area nurseries will stock and sell a huge selection of low-water use plants suitable for our area; 
  • Area nurseries will promote and sell a wide range of organic gardening supplies; and
  • TV gardening programs that focus on and highlight area gardens, as well as being informational about southwest gardening, will be broadcast locally. 

Establishing and creating this website is just one of the activities I do to draw closer to my vision for our area. I believe all four of my goals are attainable. Read through the rest of the website and give it a try. HighPlainsGardening.com is filled with information that will help you create gardens that are:

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Featured Photography

Scenes from Big Bend National Park, 2009 and 2018. The images were taken, beginning on the road to Santa Elena Canyon in the west end of Big Bend, along the Rio Grande River to Castolon, then to the center of the park to the Chisos Basin, where the flora benefits from cooler temperatures at elevations over 5500 feet. Along the drive up to the Chisos Lodge are Sotol grasslands. To the east, images reflect a hotter landscape as the elevation lowers to the Rio Grande River in the eastern end of the park. The short climb along a path to the top of the Rio Grande Overlook is well worth the 20 minute hike. This hike features a marvelous array of Chihuahuan Desert plants while viewing the river, and Mexico on the other side. The last photos are of some of the yuccas scattered across the park in many areas. Even though Big Bend National Park is hot and dry for many months of the year, an amazing number of plants thrive and flower.


Recent Garden Notes

A Year in My Garden 2020

01/06/2021 - 15:01

After two months of winter, on a gray day in the bleakest month of all, I suddenly lose hope that the garden will revive. I know it sounds silly, and that thought only lasts for a moment. My rational side reminds the emotional that our Earth’s journey will be like every other year. Day length will increase and temperatures will gradually warm until roots in the soil are stirred into action and green growth is seen everywhere.
Join me on the journey through the life of the garden -- crocus to chrysanthemum -- and all the wonders in-between.

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Local Butterflies

10/29/2020 - 13:21

Over the years I've unintentionally made a butterfly garden with many late summer to fall blooming plants. And in the process, happily experienced the many joys of stepping out the front door to a landscape of "floating flowers." I've listed over two dozen local butterflies I've been able to identify and the plants that attract them. Even planting a few butterfly nectar plants will attract these colorful insects to your garden.

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A Garden in Focus

07/18/2020 - 15:15

A Visit to the Garden Designed by the Owner of Windswept Prairie Plant Truck highlights elements of successful design.

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