Why native gardening is on the rise in San Antonio

• 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:

• Flame Acanthus
• Gregg's or Fragrant Mistflower
• Salvia Greggii

What's next: White recommends that native landscape newbies start out small.