Texas · Evergreen
Evergreen Native Plants for Texas
Updated 2026-09-11
A Texas garden built entirely from perennials and wildflowers goes mostly bare from December through February. The 9 species here hold their leaves year-round and are what keep a garden from looking empty in winter, whether that's a full shade tree, a hedge-height shrub, or a grass that stays green when everything around it has died back.
9 plants
Agarita
Berberis trifoliolata
A spiny blue-grey evergreen that bees swarm in late winter and birds nest inside for protection.
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
A vigorous semi-evergreen climber that covers a fence or arbor in orange-red trumpets in early spring — timed for the first returning hummingbirds.
Damianita
Chrysactinia mexicana
A low evergreen cushion of fine, aromatic foliage smothered in golden daisies in spring and again in fall.
Escarpment Live Oak
Quercus fusiformis
The iconic sprawling evergreen oak of the Hill Country, holding its leaves through winter and dropping acorns that feed everything from jays to deer..
Evergreen Sumac
Rhus virens
A lush, glossy evergreen that looks far too refined for how tough it is — a superb native screen or hedge that bees work in late summer and birds fruit on in fall..
Lindheimer's Muhly
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri
A big, fountain-shaped clump grass topped with silver-blond plumes in fall.
Texas Mountain Laurel
Dermatophyllum secundiflorum
A slow-growing evergreen with glossy leaves and drooping clusters of purple flowers that smell exactly like grape soda each spring.
Wax Myrtle
Morella cerifera
A fast, dense, aromatic evergreen that makes an ideal privacy screen and fixes its own nitrogen.
Yaupon Holly
Ilex vomitoria
An adaptable evergreen holly that takes sun or deep shade, wet or dry, and covers itself in translucent red berries that hold all winter for the birds.
Structure at every height
Escarpment live oak is the one true shade tree on this list, holding its canopy through winter and dropping old leaves in spring only once new growth is already coming in. Evergreen sumac, texas mountain laurel, yaupon holly, and wax myrtle work as large shrubs or small trees, all substantial enough to anchor a bed or form a screen year-round. Agarita and damianita stay lower, both useful as a evergreen border planting rather than a backdrop.
Evergreen vines and grasses
Crossvine is the one evergreen vine on the list, holding its leaves through all but the hardest winters and covering a fence or trellis with green even in January. Lindheimer's muhly is only semi-evergreen, keeping most of its silvery foliage through a mild winter but browning back some in a harder freeze, which still gives it more winter presence than a fully deciduous grass like little bluestem.
FAQ
What native Texas shrubs stay green all winter?
Agarita, damianita, evergreen sumac, texas mountain laurel, wax myrtle, and yaupon holly all hold their leaves year-round, ranging from low border shrubs to large screening shrubs.
Is there a native Texas shade tree that's evergreen?
Escarpment live oak is the main one. It sheds old leaves in spring right as new growth comes in, so it never has the bare winter look most Texas shade trees do.
What native grass stays green in winter?
None of the site's grasses are fully evergreen, but lindheimer's muhly comes closest, holding most of its silvery foliage through a mild winter and browning only in a harder freeze.