Posted 9:39 pm Sunday, October 11, 2009
Texas Native Plant Week Starts Oct. 19
The first Texas Native Plant Week will be observed Oct. 19-25.
Ruth Loper, president of the Tyler chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas, said the chapter was thrilled when Gov. Rick Perry signed the bill into law this summer.
"Since 1980, we've had a Texas Wildflower Day on the last Saturday of April, and now the Texas Legislature thinks it's important enough to have a Texas Native Plant Week," said Mrs. Loper of Whitehouse.
Native plants in the home landscape save water, require less maintenance and limit the need for herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, Mrs. Loper said. Hardier and more disease-resistant than imported or exotic species, natives also provide much-needed habitat for such wildlife as butterflies and birds, she said.
Mrs. Loper said that with more than 5,000 species of plants native to Texas, variety is never-ending. And with its abundant rainfall, acid soils and relatively temperate climate, East Texas is home to more than 2,500 species of natives, she said.
Homeowners and gardeners can learn more about native Texas plants by visiting the Tyler chapter of the Native Plant Society.
Meetings are 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month at Fairwood United Methodist Church, 1712 Old Omen Road, Tyler. For information, call Loper at 903-839-7695 or visit www.npsot.org/tyler
