Texas Climate in Different Styles

I’ve had this idea for a while—to create landscape designs in different styles while adapting them to Texas’ climate. How would I approach a tropical, desert, or New England contemporary aesthetic while working within the limitations of local conditions?

Since I work remotely, I often get requests to design landscapes that match a specific regional style. A California-inspired design is vastly different from a Florida one, and both contrast with Arizona. Texas, I’d say, leans toward California-style landscapes—but with a twist.

Oddly enough, I rarely get asked to design anything tropical, contemporary, or fusion-inspired. Yet, I believe that by carefully selecting Texas-native plants, I could mimic almost any style.

So, my friend and I decided to turn this into a small challenge.

The Project Setup

We’re working with a renovated home on a slope. The property already has mature oak trees and various native shrubs—which, by tradition, we won’t disturb, aside from minor clearing. Instead, we’re focusing on creating a small, private garden near the entrance.

Interestingly, the main entrance will primarily be for guests—the homeowners will, as is typical, enter and exit through the garage.

From the builder who handled the renovation, we already have:

A water feature – a simple steel box with a mirror-like water surface, where the overflow discreetly disappears into stones below.

A limestone path – gray lueder laid over a Black Star gravel.

Beaked Yucca (Yucca rostrata) – a protected local species that will remain in place.

So now, the challenge begins. Let’s see what comes out of this experiment!