Some plant books cover landscape plants; others cover vegetables or herbs. Some discuss grasses, and others concentrate on natives or introduced plants. This book Plants for Texas covers 'em all. This is a Texas plant encyclopedia. It's not for the professional horticulturist as much as for the landscape contractor, nurseryman, and homeowner. If you wonder about a plant in Texas—whether a shrub, vine, flower, grass, tree, weed, or cover crop—it's probably in this book. There are more plants in more categories explained in Plants for Texas than in any other book written for the state.

You will find the arrangement of this book to be the best—the easiest to use and the most enjoyable to read. No punches are pulled. Some gardening authors give wimpy, noncommittal advice, leaving the main decisions up to you. Not here. You need my help and my cold, hard facts about what plants to use and what plants to avoid here in Texas.