Erin May, her husband Ben and son Joe have lived at 935 Euclid for about 3 1/2 years, moving in to the neighborhood in time for the 2022 Lights In the Heights holiday event.
"They both indulge my gardening. Joe likes the bugs and picking tomatoes (and giving them to me to eat). He also helps me pick plants. He picked the Rue because it’s a host for swallowtails. I just realized I didn’t mention the tomato. I put a cherry tomato in the middle of the frogfruit and hope to add some more food in the front in the future." Erin commented when we first spoke with her about her garden and its plantings.
Since moving to the Woodland Heights Erin's been busy working on her yard concentrating on native plantings. Her favorite part of her yard is the beds between the sidewalk and the street. Her front yard is where her love of native plants is most apparent. Here you'll find a large variety of native plants including Frogfruit, Milkweed (aquatic & green), Turk’s cap, Mealy blue sage, Texas lantana, Esperanza, Lanceleaf coreopsis, Goldsturm coneflower (type of black-eyed Susan), Flame acanthus, Texas rock rose, Common selfhea, Bitterweed, Gulf vervain, Coastal germander, American germander, Prairie coneflower (Mexican hat), Giant coneflower, Purple coneflower, Horse herb,and Purple muhly grass. (Just to name a few).
"I have raised beds in the back along the fence but they don’t do as well as the front with the full sun," she continued. When asked where she shops for her plants Erin responds, "Mainly Buchanan’s but I also shop at Joshua’s and the Audubon Society and Native Plant Society sales."Though she does have non native plants in her yard including Vitex (Texas lilac), Bicolor iris, and Lespedeza.
"I like all of these and they’ve done really well but they were all planted by builder. They’re not native and I’d replace them if they didn’t do well. But they look nice! And I think the iris and vitex are considered adapted. I don't know the names of everything." She continued, "I think the thin tree opposite the oak is a jacaranda (Buchanan’s sold it to me and said it would do better than a Mt. Laurel). It should be full of purple blooms... one day. I’ll buy butterfly host plants that aren’t native, too. There is a common rue fighting for its life between the lantana and Esperanza in the middle of the frogfruit. Common rue is a host plant for Swallowtails, but none yet!"
Her variety of plants makes her garden very attractive to all types of flying and crawling bugs and flying insects.
Yes, many pollinators and lizards! The frogfruit is full of bees!! Carpenter bees like the Esperanza and mealy blue sage. We also have wasps and flies—who are also pollinators. Aphids on the milkweed attract ladybugs. We (like everyone) mostly have brown anoles (which are invasive), but there is at least one green one on the gate, near the lespedeza. And of course butterflies! I wish I could tell you all the species. I’d love to catalog species the way my friend and mentor Lauren Simpson has.at St Julian's Crossing."
Erin is a firm believer in the benefits of native plants, "My recommendation is to replace anything that has died with a Native, once it’s established it is most likely to survive a neglectful gardener and whatever weather Houston throws at it."
When asked if she was born with a green thumb, Erin said "Not at all! I’m not very proficient at all. I have to thank Humberto Bolanos of Bella Terra Landscape Resources for the excellent bed prep and installation, and Lopez Landscaping for edging and mowing helping keeping things from getting too overgrown. My mom is a Master Naturalist in San Antonio and enjoys moving plants around and bringing me volunteers from her yard. I love my yard because it reminds me of my mom. She lives in San Antonio but may work in my yard as much as I do. The credit really goes to the species—go native and let them take care of themselves. And enjoy the benefits of supporting the local ecosystem!"
Though she has no favorite, there are a few she does hold a special place in her heart for, "I love all my babies! I really love Gregg’s mist flower, but haven’t had success, yet. I've tried it a couple times amongst the frogfruit, but hoping to have more success once I expand the beds. I love Turk’s caps, they’re beautiful and you can eat the fruit (like little red berries). I also plant them hoping to lure hummingbirds. For the plants that came with the house I love the native purple muhly grass and the adapted Vitex. I love purple! My favorite flowers are actually dahlias, but it's way too hot, here."
"Her inspiration for her yard comes from, "My mom’s garden in San Antonio, St. Julian’s Crossing in Garden Oaks and Oak Forest, and my wonderful Euclid neighbors Mac Funk (943) & Freddie Bartels (946). My Flame acanthus, Turk's cap, and rock rose are from my mom’s garden in San Antonio. The coneflowers and Mexican hat and rain lilies are seeds and bulbs from my neighbor Mac. I think I forgot to mention the rain lilies earlier. I doubt they’re native but I love them! They’re bubble gum pink and mostly currently hidden under the germander and coneflowers in the driveway bed."When asked about the number of hours she spends in her garden she responds, "Not many nor near enough! That’s the beauty of Natives. I do aspire to spend more time (when it cools off!)."
Unlike many gardeners, Erin's favorite part of gardening is one thing many gardeners count as their least favorite thing to do, "Weeding! And weeding. I enjoy weeding, but find it painful to decide who has to go. I enjoy watching what happens, who blooms, who reappears after a freeze, and all the critters that live there. I like the bugs as much as the plants! I (hardly) ever spend more than $10 on a plant so if it doesn’t work out I’m never too upset. I like trading plants with friends/family & neighbors, too!"
In terms of how it felt to be recognized as WHCA Yard of the month, she responded. "Amazing!! The native beds in front were prepared and planted with mostly plugs just 14 months ago. I can’t wait to expand! And am so glad that others (or at least Ryan) enjoyed my yard. Ha!"