A Pollinator Sanctuary In Suburbia

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TINY PLOT FILLED WITH DENSE AND DIVERSE FLORA ||| RULED BY A NATIVE PLANT OVERLORD WITH HOARDING TENDENCIES WHO THINKS HE HAS A WICKED SENSE OF HUMOR

HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, USA ||| ZONE 9 ||| GULF COAST PRAIRIES & MARSHES ECOREGION

05/25/2026

8:01 PM, Sunday, May 24, 2026 POV
This area is usually dominated by my S. altissima (Tall Goldenrod) and Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian sunflower). Not this year. Somehow, the Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland Sea Oats) took off faster than the other plants. And guess what? The last time I watered A Pollinator Sanctuary In Suburbia?!? Last year! During the hottest summer months.
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Not everything in this vid is a win, however. You see those pretty purple flowers? That's my hybrid passionflower. I pulled out the original plants 3 years ago but this is a super super super aggressive hybrid (Incense variety, I believe). And it's traveled more than 50 ft! All I can do is pull the vine when it's close to the edge of the garden bed.
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Before I go, here's some info on the Inland Sea Oats. If this is native to your area, go get you some~
Benefit
Use Ornamental: An attractive, dense-covering grass for shade, with decorative seedheads. Also good in pots.
Use Wildlife: Seeds eaten by small mammals and granivorous birds. Leaves provide graze for mammals. Stems and leaves used as nesting material by birds.
Use Other: Cut seed stalks decorative in dried arrangements.
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Larval Host: Pepper & salt skipper butterfly, Bell's road side skipper butterfly, Bronzed roadside skipper butterfly
Deer Resistant: High
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https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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Harris County, Texas

Turns out I'm salty...Not just in my clapbacks, but literally, I'm salty.I don't mind providing nutrients to sweat bees ...
05/24/2026

Turns out I'm salty...
Not just in my clapbacks, but literally, I'm salty.
I don't mind providing nutrients to sweat bees and butters...
BTW, here are 3 more low water needs native plants. Go get you some~
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Give me a follow on Insta, will ya?
https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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And bc I like ya, Imma give ya some tips on how I grow starter plants, even in the middle of summer. Hop on to the comment section.

05/08/2026

American Beautyberry and her roomies appreciation post
1. She's blooming
2. She's happily living in a large and tall container for over 5 years now
3. I haven't watered her at all this year
4. 7 years ago I stopped putting out birds seeds...Now I grow native plants like this one
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https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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Callicarpa americana, American Beautyberry
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Moist, rich soils, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Acid-based, Calcareous
Conditions Comments: American beautyberry is a wonderful, large understory shrub with a naturally loose and graceful arching form. In the fall and early winter, the branches are laden with magenta purple (sometimes white) berry clusters that look spectacular as the leaves drop in autumn. It is useful as a screen in swampy or wooded locations or under shade trees in a garden setting. It can be cut to 12" above the base each winter to encourage more compact growth, flowers and fruit. It can also be left to mature naturally into a tall woody shrub. The shrub may temporarily defoliate and lose developing fruit during periods of prolonged summer drought.

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=caam2

05/08/2026

A HOST PLANT AND CAN TAKE DRY SOIL!
Note: Do your research before planting this one...It is an aggressive colonizer. I LOVE THIS, but not everyone does. Here you can see it's still happy and thriving in a container.
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Artemisia ludoviciana aka Louisiana Artemisia, Louisiana Sage, White Sage, Prairie Sage, Silver Sage, White Sagebrush, Louisiana Wormwood, Silver Wormwood, Louisiana Sagewort, Gray Sagewort, Cudweed Sagewort, Mugwort Wormwood
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=arlu
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Prairie Sage is also one of the host plants for the American Lady and the Painted Lady. The plants reach heights of 3’ and are easily propagated by rhizome cuttings in spring, tip cuttings in early summer or by division of mature plants. This species is the Sage used in Sage Bundles for smudging and ceremonial purposes for many Native American tribes.

Prairie Sage, also called White Sagebrush, is aggressive and rhizomatous and therefore may not be suitable for small landscape plantings.
https://www.prairiemoon.com/artemisia-ludoviciana-prairie-sage

05/05/2026

While at work, my phone decided to go a lil cray cray on me. When I opened the app, this is what I see.
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As the Native Plant Overlord of A Pollinator Sanctuary In Suburbia, my goal is to provide a habitat that is dense and diverse with native flora. OUTSIDE, BOOKIE! OUTSIDE! I'm not a wasp hater, btw. FROM AFAR, I have a healthy appreciation for their role in a healthy ecosystem balanced with predators and prey.
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Give me a follow on Insta, will ya?
https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/

05/05/2026

Ratibida columnifera akaMexican Hat, Red-spike Mexican Hat, Upright Prairie Coneflower, Prairie Coneflower, Long-headed Coneflower, Thimbleflower
and
Scutellaria ovata, aka Heartleaf Skullcap, Heart-leaf Skullcap
Entertaining guests..
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https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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TWO OF THE EASIEST NATIVE PLANTS TO MAKE MORE OF! All I do is sprinkle the seeds where I see soil...that's it. And these 2 are prolific reseeders...talk about an incredible ROI!
Harris County, Texas
See comment section for more plant details

05/01/2026

Cylindropuntia imbricata subsp. spinosior is a succulent subshrub or shrub native to Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico.
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Story time: So January 2026 - I was in Sedona, Arizona.
I visited The Chapel of the Holy Cross and this plant was just outside. It is spectacular.

Whenever I travel I pay just as much attention to flora and fauna. This one took my breath away. I just had to share with you guys. :)
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See comment section for additional pics.
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If you happen to know the link to this subspecies in wildflower.org, please let me know in the comments.

04/26/2026

Say howdy to my Hinckley's Golden Columbine
Growing just under the patio. Gets morning sun to noon only.
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Like other golden columbines, it is valued for its shade tolerance, attractive foliage, and clear yellow flowers.
Soil Description: Rich, moist, well-drained, slightly acid soils. Will grow in somewhat alkaline soil.
Conditions Comments: Popular and gorgeous spring bloomer when given preferred growing conditions of good, well-drained soil, part shade, and adequate moisture. Though they tolerate some heat, Southwestern yellow columbines become susceptible to spider mites and aphids in very hot, arid conditions.
Use Wildlife: Attracts moths, butterflies, and bees.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Birds , Butterflies
Larval Host: Columbine Duskywing
Nectar Source: yes
Source:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AQHI

Whenever I want to research a native plant: https://www.wildflower.org/AND to find out to what county that plant is nat...
04/25/2026

Whenever I want to research a native plant: https://www.wildflower.org/
AND to find out to what county that plant is native: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/
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Give me a follow on Insta, will ya?
https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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Here are the things I look for:
1. Perennial or prolific reseeder if an annual
2. Have hollow or pithy stems (apartments for solitary insects)
3. Produces pollen/nectar, berries/seeds
4. Aggressive (yeppers, I really did write that - I plant aggressive plants together - the end result? they keep each other in check)
5. If I'm looking for native plants for the front of the house, EVERGREEN (I have a strict HOA, which is ok with me, I love where I live)
6. Harris County ECOREGION native plants get highest priority, followed by Texas native

*native host plants always get highest priority

04/25/2026

Texas Rockrose growing in a container and shining
This one loves dry soil AND it's native to Texas only. How special is that!
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Give me a follow on Insta, will ya?
https://www.instagram.com/apollinatorsanctuaryinsuburbia/
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Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Drought Tolerance: High
Cold Tolerant: yes
Conditions Comments: Herbaceous stems rise from a woody base. Pink hibiscus-like flowers. Velvety, scalloped leaves. The flowers attract hummingbirds.
Benefit
Use Ornamental: Pavonia makes an excellent choice for landscaping. Able to survive the summer heat, its profusion of brilliant flowers adds a colorful touch to a dry landscape. Attractive, Blooms ornamental, Easily grown, Perennial garden.
Use Wildlife: Nectar-butterflies, Nectar-moths, Hummingbirds.
Attracts: Hummingbirds

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Houston, TX
77007

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