🎄 Gift Yourself a Holiday Home Makeover: Best Plants to Install Now in Houston (Zone 9a)

If you live in the Houston or Sugar Land area, here’s a little landscaping secret:

👉 Our BEST planting season isn’t spring — it’s right now.

Yep. While the rest of the country is covered in snow, our soil is still warm, the air is cooler, and plants installed now develop strong roots long before we hit our usual “Welcome to the surface of the sun” weather again.

Planting in late fall and early winter means:
✔️ Less watering
✔️ Less stress on plants
✔️ Stronger root systems
✔️ Better survival in summer heat

And—when done with the right plant selections—it gives you a landscape that’s freeze-smart, drought-smart, and homeowner-friendly.

So if you’ve been wanting to refresh your curb appeal, add color for the holidays, or finally get that privacy hedge growing… this is the moment.

Text Us: 281-208-4400

This is your best time to plant in Houston. Let’s make your holiday home the best it can be.

🌿 Holiday Planting Ideas for Houston

Here are some of our favorite freeze-resistant, Houston-proven plants to install this time of year.

🎨 Instant Seasonal Color

Perfect for entryways, borders, and holiday curb appeal:

• Cyclamen (glossy red—our favorite Christmas flower!)

• Pansies

• Snapdragons

• Dianthus

• Alyssum

• Marigolds

💡 Cyclamen is especially show-stopping in containers near the front door.

🌿 Low-Maintenance Perennials

These return yearly and thrive once heat returns:

• Lantana

• Turk’s Cap

• Daylilies

• Esperanza (Yellow Bells)

• Gulf Coast Muhly Grass

💡 Plant these now and enjoy effortless growth in spring.

🌳 Evergreens for Structure & Privacy

These create that “finished” look every yard needs:

• Eagleston Holly

• Nellie R. Stevens Holly

• Dwarf Yaupon Holly

• Viburnum Odoratissimum

• Texas Sage

💡 If you need privacy, now is the best time to get those hedges in the ground.

🦋 Pollinator-Friendly Picks

Because winter isn’t the end of bee and butterfly season here:

• Pentas

• Coneflower

• Verbena

• Salvia

• Read our article on the best pollinator picks

🌲 Accent Trees to Plant Now

Trees planted in winter require less watering and establish beautifully:

• Vitex

• Crape Myrtle

• Olive Tree

• Little Gem Magnolia

🌱 Quick Winter Planting Tips

• Add 2–3 inches of mulch around all new plants to protect roots from January temperature swings.

• Water deeply 2x per week until established (then taper).

• Give plants room to grow—future you will be glad you did.

• Avoid fertilizing until early spring.

🎁 A Home That Brings You Joy

Landscaping is about more than plants—it’s about creating a place that feels welcoming, peaceful, and beautiful every time you pull in the driveway.

Planting now is a gift to:
💚 your home
💚 your daily environment
💚 and your future spring garden

And if your yard has been frustrating, dull, or outdated, planting now is the fastest way to change that—beautifully and sustainably.

📥 Free Download + Holiday Offer

We put all of these recommendations into a simple Holiday Planting Ideas Guide you can save or print.

👉 Download it here

As a thank-you for being here, when you download the guide, you’ll also receive a coupon for $250 off your landscape project — our little holiday gift to you.

If you’re ready for a fresh start outdoors — we’d love to help.

Free local advice from,
Todd Farber
Aggie Horticulturist & Expert Landscaper
🌿 Serving Houston & Sugar Land Since 1991 🌿
AskGardenGuy.com | Garden Guy Landscaping

Text Us: 281-208-4400

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