Texas Natives

Agarito
Berberis trifoliata

With so many plants competing in their spring floral displays, agarito is one native shrub that provides landscape interest through every season. Fragrant, saffron-yellow flowers smother its branches in spring, attracting an assortment of butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators. In summer, the small red berries are a delight to birds and make a fine jelly. The attractive blue-green evergreen foliage is armed with sharp points, creating a formidable barrier to intruders but safe nesting for birds during fall and winter.

For more on this plant, and to see what’s happening at Texas Discovery Gardens this month, go to:

http://www.texasdiscoverygardens.org/texasnatives.htm

About the author: Tina Dombrowski is the Director of Horticulture at Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park, Dallas. She has a particular interest in Texas native plants, butterflies, pollinating insects and their interconnected histories.