Prepared by

Richard Heizer, Darryl Pou, and James Badgett

**********

The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) requires screening of certain structures at Reata Estates.  Some examples include portable buildings, air conditioning compressors, and propane tanks.  You can screen with a variety of methods including stone walls, privacy fences, and shrubs.  Plants will likely be the cheapest and most beautiful way to screen.  Screening with plants is highly encouraged.

While you certainly could use a shrub that grows to 20 feet in height to screen a propane tank, a wiser choice would be a shrub that grows to four or five feet.  In other words, don’t just stick any old shrub in the ground when you need to screen something (or even if you are landscaping); instead, choose a plant appropriate for the site.  The need for pruning is greatly minimized or eliminated by appropriate plant selection.

When selecting a plant for screening you should consider its height and spread, plus its water and light requirements.  For screening purposes, an evergreen shrub is a must since it will perform its “duty” all year.

Plants must be planted in an appropriate manner to survive and thrive.  Improper planting techniques is a major reason plants die within the first year.  At Reata, planting methods should vary depending upon the location of your lot.  Much of the land along Rio Ridge is rocky with little top soil, and what soil is there is poor and very alkaline.  In that environment, proper planting will require more work.  In contrast, much of the land in lower areas such as along Lariat Court and Branding Iron Court has an abundant depth of excellent top soil that requires little preparation.

The following is a list of evergreen shrubs, and two plants that can be grown as vines.  All of them are appropriate for this area with regards to heat and cold tolerance.  You may have to look in or call many plant nurseries to find some of them, but if you are willing to shop you will be rewarded with some very beautiful plants that will compliment your landscape.

The list of plants is arranged by size to facilitate shopping to screen a particular object, but the list can be used to shop for landscape needs.  The list includes height and spread of the shrubs plus their water and light needs.  The height and spread data are average and will vary with the type of soil, the amount of light the plant receives, and the preparation of the planting site.  Water needs will vary with the amount of light the shrub receives and the environment in which it is planted.

 Very Low Shrubs

Harbor Nandina

• Height = 12-18 inches     Spread = 18-24 inches
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Very drought tolerant.  Excellent accent plant.  Color varies with amount of light.

Dwarf English Boxwood

• Height = 1-2 feet     Spread = 1-2 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Grows slowly and very compact.

Korean Boxwood

• Height = 1-2 feet     Spread = 1-2 feet
• Water Needs = Medium    Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Compact plant with small leaves.

Low Shrubs

Dwarf Yaupon Holly

• Height = 2-3 feet     Spread = 2-3 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  A refined, attractive, and compact shrub.

Larchleaf Goldenweed

• Height = 2-3 feet     Spread = 3-5 feet
• Water Needs = Very Low     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Native plant with a compact mound of dense branches.

Turner’s Pitt Mock Orange

• Height = 2-3 feet     Spread = 2-3 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Gray-green leaves with variegated edges.  Drought resistant.

David Viburnum

• Height = 2-3 feet     Spread = 3-4 feet    
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Showy, mounded plants with dark green leaves.

Dwarf Wax Myrtle

• Height = 3-4 feet     Spread = 4-5 feet    
• Water Requirements = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Aromatic leaves and pale blue berries.

Compact Nandina

• Height = 3-4 feet     Spread = 3-4 feet    
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Excellent autumn and winter color.  Spreads by roots.

Texas Barberry

• Height = 3-5 feet     Spread = 4-5 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Texas native.

Medium Shrubs

Agarita

• Height = 3-5 feet     Spread = 3-5 feet
• Water Requirements = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Native plant; fragrant blooms; red berries in summer and autumn.

Dwarf Burford Holly

• Height = 3-5 feet     Spread = 3-5 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Shiny, dark green foliage.  Red berries in winter.

Texas Mahonia

• Height = 4-5 feet     Spread = 4-5 feet
• Water Requirements = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Native.  Likes rocky, limestone soil.  Foliage becomes reddish-purplish in the autumn.

Japanese Boxwood

• Height = 4-6 feet     Spread = 4-6 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Grows dense and rounded.

Red Barberry

• Height = 5-6 feet     Spread = 5-6 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Native with stiff, spiny, holly-like leaves with red berries.

Italian Jasmine

• Height = 5-6 feet     Spread = 5-6 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Easy to grow with a graceful, spreading form.  Attracts hummingbirds.

Leatherleaf Mahonia

• Height = 5-6 feet     Spread = 3-4 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Part to Full Shade
• Comments:  Distinctive blue-green prickly foliage.  Excellent accent plant.

Glossy Abelia

• Height = 5-6 feet     Spread = 5-6 feet
• Water Needs = Low to Medium     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Graceful and adaptable.

Standard Nandina

• Height = 6-8 feet     Spread = 4-6 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Sometimes called Christmas bamboo.  Beautiful red berries in winter.

Creosote Bush

• Height = 5-10 feet     Spread = 4-6 feet
• Water Needs = Very Low     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Very drought tolerant desert plant with gnarled, gray, sparsely foliated branches.

Tall Shrubs

Bayberry

• Height = 8-10 feet     Spread = 7-8 feet
• Water Needs = Medium to High     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Glossy green aromatic leaves.

Elaeagnus

• Height = 8-10 feet     Spread = 8-10 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Interesting and lovely silver-green leaves.

Dazzler Holly

• Height = 8-10 feet     Spread = 7-8 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Bold, deep green, toothed leaves.  Very showy, bright red berries.

Bush (Winter) Honeysuckle

• Height = 10-12 feet     Spread = 10-12 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Has graceful, arching limbs.  Will spread by roots.  Blooms starting in February.

Variegated Privet

• Height = 6-10 feet     Spread = 6-8 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Provides a pretty contrast to green foliage of other plants.

Mohave Pyracantha

• Height = 8-12 feet     Spread = 10-12 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Excellent for a trellis or fence.

Japanese Mock Orange

• Height = 10-12 feet     Spread = 10-12 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Attractive glossy foliage.

Graber’s Pyracantha

• Height = 10-12 feet     Spread = 8-10 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun
• Comments:  Excellent for a trellis or fence.  Grows fast.  Lustrous dark green foliage.

Burford Holly

• Height = 10-12 feet     Spread = 8-10 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Dark green foliage.  Needs little care.

Very Tall Shrubs

Chinese Photinia

• Height = 10-15 feet     Spread = 10-15 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Very winter hardy (unlike the commonly sold Red Tip Photinia.)

Southern River Privet

• Height = 10-15 feet     Spread = 6-8 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Clusters of blue berries in autumn.  Fragrant white flowers in spring.

Nellie R. Stevens Holly

• Height = 10-15 feet     Spread = 10-15 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Bright red berries in autumn.  Grows thick (excellent for screening.)

Willowleaf Holly

• Height = 12-15 feet     Spread = 12-15 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Partial Shade
• Comments:  Dense, spreading habit.  Lustrous, dark green foliage.

Yaupon Holly

• Height = 15-20 feet     Spread = 10-20 feet
• Water Needs = Low     Light = Full Sun to Full Shade
• Comments:  Female plants have red berries in autumn and winter.

Folster Holly

• Height = 18-20 feet     Spread = 8-10 feet
• Water Needs = Medium     Light = Full Sun to Partial
• Comments:  Bright red berries in autumn.  Deep green leaves.

Where to Buy These Plants

You may not be able to find many of these plants at Home Depot or Lowe’s.  The reason is that many of them are not widely known and may not sell fast.  But, if you are willing to spend some time shopping you can have a lovely screen that enhances your landscape and adds value to your property.  Also, most of the plants on the above list won’t require a lot of your time after they are established.  Weston Gardens in Bloom is an excellent source for many of the plants listed in this file.

Weston Gardens in Bloom

• 8101 Anglin Drive (off SE Loop 820), Fort Worth, 817-572-0549. 
• Web site:   WestonGardens.com