Mandell Park Native Plant Tour

Welcome to our Native Plants Tour

From the beginning, the vision for Mandell Park was to use native plants wherever possible in our prairie, bioswales, and flower beds. Our landscapes are ever-changing, depending on which plants like their location and which plants end up migrating to another area. This tour started as a Girl Scout Gold Award Project and will be updated as the plants inevitably change. Please also note that some plants look different during different seasons, so what you see today may change in a few months. Enjoy your tour of our park!

Plants in our Prairie

Like a wide, flat prairie, this bed is flat and receives full sun. This provides ample space for Texas grasses to flourish. Native texas grasses help to prevent flooding and erosion with their long root systems that hold dirt in place and absorb more water than traditional lawns. They also tend to grow taller and provide more cover for small animals.

Indian blanket/Gaillardia

Frogfruit

Maximilian Sunflower (blooms in fall)

Swamp sunflower (image from iNaturalist) 

Grey Headed Coneflower

Gulf muhly grass (image from iNaturalist)

Plants in our Sign Bed

The sign bed represents two different biomes and is not a bioswale, meaning there is less moisture. The west side of the bed, which receives full sun, represents a prairie, while the east side represents a woodland and prairie edge where the trees shade the plants growing there.

Spotflower

Partridge Pea

Gulf vervain

Gulf vervain

Aquatic milkweed

Plants in our North Bioswale

Bioswales differ from other plant beds at the park because the bioswales have storm drains, meant to help reduce flooding. Because they channel water, the plants in the bioswales receive more constant moisture than the other beds. The north bioswale combines woodland and wetland plant habitat. The trees provide shade, and the area is usually somewhat damp. The native plants in the bioswale help reduce flooding and provide biodiversity that supports many species of insects. 

Mexican Sycamore

Montezuma Cypress

Parsley Hawthorn

Arrowwood Viburnum

Turks Cap

Turks Cap

Inland wood oats

Obedient Plant

Whiteleaf Mountain Mint

Plants in our Northwest Bioswale

Bioswales differ from other plant beds at the park because the bioswales have storm drains, meant to help reduce flooding. Because they channel water, the plants in the bioswales receive more constant moisture than the other beds. The northwest bioswale combines woodland and wetland plant habitat. The trees provide shade, and the area is usually somewhat damp. The native plants in the bioswale help reduce flooding and provide biodiversity that supports many species of insects. 

Plants in our Elephant Bed

Currently a work in progress, the elephant bed will be planted with native plants in the fall, and the front of it will be developed as a nursery bed for plants that can be transplanted elsewhere in the park. The biome of the elephant bed is largely reminiscent of a woodland edge, as it receives more shade from the trees on its border. 

Black Willow

Plants in our Pollinator Garden

The pollinator garden receives full sun, and largely holds vibrantly colored flowers, and they attract pollinators like bees or butterflies. Some of the plants in the pollinator garden include:

Zinnias

Tropical milk weed

Mexican heather

Plants in the Garden Bioswales

Bioswales differ from plant beds because the bioswales have storm drains, meant to help reduce flooding. Because they drain water, the plants in the bioswales are exposed to more moisture than the other beds. The garden bioswale represents a cross between a woodland and a wetland. The trees provide shade to the plants and the water gives the area a marshy nature. The native plants in the bioswale also help to reduce flooding and provide biodiversity to the bioswale. 

Montezuma Cypress

Sweet Bay Magnolia

Spider Lillies (image from the Houston Garden Club)

Tropical Sage (image from iNaturalist)

False Mint

Texas Virgin’s Bower A.K.A. Old Man’s Beard

Ironwood

Buttonbush

Spiderwort

Coral Honeysuckle (image from iNaturalist)

Plants in the South Flower Garden

The flower garden receives full sun and contains a variety of native and non-native plants. These flowering plants attract pollinators and improve biodiversity. 

Flame Acanthus A.K.A Hummingbird Bush 

Mexican Honeysuckle