Why native gardening is on the rise in San Antonio
Why it matters: Yards and gardens filled with native species can withstand the city's increasing heat and ongoing drought, conserving water while adding a beautiful touch to neighborhoods.
Native plants also help attract pollinators and restore ecosystems, and they're easier to maintain.
State of play: When Drake White opened The Nectar Bar in Leon Valley in 2023, it was the city's first nursery solely dedicated to native species.
It was followed by Pollinatives, on the Northeast Side, shortly after.
Zoom in: White tells Axios that The Nectar Bar began as a landscaping company in 2014. She specialized in pollinator gardens, but soon realized that certain native host plants needed for butterflies to lay eggs weren't available.
She started growing those plants herself. Then came the influx of customers that led to the nursery's opening.
The big picture: The San Antonio chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas says interest in native landscaping "is rapidly growing," which White has also seen.
The San Antonio Water System this year increased the value of its WaterSaver Landscape Coupons, offering $125 per coupon to replace grass with drought-tolerant plants, which includes native ones.
What they're saying: Such programs have "helped push the understanding and the drive for native plants," White says.
She also thinks people's understanding of native gardens has grown, as they see it can be much more than cacti in a rock garden.
How it works: Native gardens don't all look the same. Some neighborhoods are filled with tall wildflowers and a "no-mow" vibe that White calls a prairie look, while others are more manicured.
The key is not to overwater. Native plants "kind of take care of themselves," White says.
The "no-fail" native species she suggests — which can work even in a pot on an apartment balcony — are:
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