Texas Winter Landscaping is essential, even in a state with mild winters like Texas. Many homeowners assume landscape can pause during the colder months, but smart winter landscape keeps your yard healthy, visually appealing, and prepared for spring. FNC Ponds helps Texas homeowners design landscapes that thrive year-round.

Top Texas Winter Landscape Ideas for Texas Homes

1. Add Evergreens for Year-Round Color

Evergreens anchor your landscape during winter, providing color and form when other plants go dormant.

Great evergreen choices for Texas landscapes:

• Pine

• Juniper

• Boxwood

• Cedar

These plants offer consistent structure and shade, especially important in milder Texas winters.

2. Use Ornamental Grasses That Thrive in Texas Winter Landscaping

Ornamental grasses perform exceptionally well in Texas’s climate and look beautiful even in winter. Their plumes create movement and texture.

Texas-friendly grasses include:

• Gulf muhly

• Little bluestem

• Maiden grass

• Blue fescue

These grasses are low-maintenance and drought tolerant, which is ideal for Texas landscapes.

3. Add Visual Interest with Berries, Bark, and Unique Branches for Winter Texas Winter Landscaping

Winter landscape doesn’t require lush foliage. Plants with standout bark or berries create natural contrast.

Great winter-interest options:

• Red twig dogwood

• Yaupon holly

• Possumhaw holly

• Crape myrtle (for colorful bark)

These choices also support local wildlife, drawing birds into your winter landscape.

4. Highlight Hardscaping Features

Texas winters showcase hardscapes beautifully. Since plants are less dominant, this is the ideal season to enhance outdoor structures.

Consider adding or upgrading:

• Stone patios and paths

• Decorative rock features

• Fire pits

• Garden walls

• Water features from FNC Ponds

Hardscapes increase both curb appeal and property value.

5. Improve Outdoor Lighting for Warmth and Safety

Shorter winter days make lighting essential for both beauty and functionality.

Lighting ideas include:

• Pathway lights

• Up-lighting for trees

• Pond or water feature lighting

• Warm LED porch lighting

These upgrades make your home inviting while improving safety.

6. Protect Your Texas Trees and Shrubs

Even in Texas, unexpected freezes can damage plants. Proper protection ensures your landscape stays healthy.

Protection tips:

• Wrap vulnerable shrubs with burlap

• Mulch around roots for insulation

• Water evergreens on warm days

• Avoid heavy pruning during freeze season

A little care goes a long way in unpredictable Texas winters.

Texas Winter Landscaping Maintenance Checklist for Texas Homeowners

• Remove fallen branches and debris

• Keep pathways clear

• Add fresh mulch for moisture control

• Protect frost-sensitive plants

• Avoid walking on frozen turf

Following these steps keeps your landscape resilient until spring.

Prepare Your Yard for Spring with FNC Ponds

Winter is the perfect time to refresh hardscaping, maintain your ponds or water features, and prepare your landscape for the warmer months ahead. FNC Ponds provides expert landscape and pond services across Texas, helping you enjoy a beautiful yard year-round.

About FNC Ponds

FNC Ponds specializes in Texas pond design, water features, landscape enhancements, and year-round outdoor care. Learn more at FNCponds.com.

Plant and Landscape Resources

Great for referencing plant hardiness, winter care, and landscape best practices.

• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
  https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Plant Care Guides
  https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/browse/plant-nature/

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Native Texas Plants
  https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

• Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (excellent for plant profiles)
  https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plantfinder/

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Pond Supply Chain shortages impact every consumer and business imaginable, and  we’ve all seen what can happen when a shortage occurs, especially in the last few years. Remember the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020?

Recently it’s been more common to experience a shortage of things that make other things, things like building materials, mechanical parts and plastics. Also, the pond industry hasn’t been immune to the supply shortages. If you’ve signed a contract for an installation in the last few months this could be why you’re still waiting to see parts of it, like Koi fish or certain plants, or maybe even a skimmer box.

Key Components of the Pond Supply Chain

The pond supply chain includes several steps, from the production of materials and equipment to final installation. Here are the primary players involved:

1. Manufacturers
   Manufacturers are at the start of the pond supply chain, creating essential products like pond liners, pumps, filters, and pond-safe treatments. Some specialize in eco-friendly solutions or products tailored for specific climates, including UV clarifiers, aerators, and high-performance filtration systems.
2. Suppliers and Distributors
   These businesses purchase large quantities from manufacturers and serve as intermediaries for retailers and contractors. Distributors help ensure that pond products are accessible to various markets by handling bulk storage, shipping, and logistical coordination.
3. Retailers and Pond Contractors
   Retailers and contractors act as the customer-facing parts of the pond supply chain. They provide products to DIY enthusiasts or work directly with clients on pond installations and maintenance. Contractors, who have direct experience with products, also play a key role in recommending the best equipment and supplies based on specific pond needs.
4. Transportation and Logistics
   Moving pond supplies between each stage of the supply chain involves transportation, warehousing, and inventory management. Efficient logistics keep products moving, minimizing delays that can affect project timelines, especially in peak seasons when demand for pond supplies is high.
5. Consumers
   The final link in the pond supply chain is the consumer. Homeowners and property managers purchase pond products or hire contractors to install and maintain their ponds. Their feedback often influences product demand and drives innovation within the industry.

Pond Supply Chain of and Demand for Ponds

The demand for Koi fish is at an all time high due to the colorful fish being a huge home improvement trend, and rightfully so! Also, Koi ponds feel like a luxury aspect of any garden or backyard. Something that provides lasting enjoyment with only minimal maintenance.

There are also  supply chain issues and shortages of a wide range of pond building materials, particularly plastics. Aquascapes, one of our suppliers, produces over 50% of products used domestically. Thas been a huge benefit to us and many others. But even with this help, there’s still a shortage of many crucial materials for pond builders. This includes PVC, skimmers, pavers, and maintenance equipment. These material shortages stretch out the timetables for Koi pond projects. Sadly, this rises of prices on necessary elements used in building Koi ponds.

Unexpected Disruptions

Some of the unexpected disruptions of supply chain functions are something simple, like running out of something that makes something else. They could be more complex, like the COVID-19 lock-downs that shut down businesses of all kinds. 2021 and 2022 seemed to fair better for a while. Until things like a shipping container getting stuck in the Suez Canal, weather-related disasters, and even geopolitical conflicts happening with overseas suppliers that can slow or halt the supply chain movement.

What This Means for You in regards to Pond Supply Chain

All this to say, the pond market has been hit with a series of perfect storms. The reality is that FNC Ponds is working diligently to build and install each customer’s pond while making sure we maintain the excellent quality we’re known for. The supply chain problems are out of our control, and it’s a frustrating situation for everyone involved, but these obstacles aren’t something that will dissipate overnight. So whether you’re waiting for your dream pond, or you’re waiting for some new Koi fish pets, hang in there because the perfect backyard is something worth waiting for.  We also carry pond supplies on our web site.  Be sure to check it out!

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The Wonders of Water Lilies

They help to keep algae growth and water temperatures down by blocking out a lot of direct sunlight with their floating leaves. These leaves also provide shelter and hiding spaces for fish and water creatures alike. Water lilies can also help keep your pond clean and clear since they absorb nutrients from the water that would typically go towards feeding undesirable algae.

Water lilies are a good choice for beginners as they are dependable and easy to plant. The flowers blossom from spring to fall and go dormant in the winter. If you’d love to try growing water lilies but don’t have your own pond (yet!), well good news–water lilies can also thrive in decorative aquatic planters which you can display anywhere in your yard.

Planting Instructions

The planting steps are the same whether you are planting in an aquatic container or directly into a pond. You must first properly plant the rhizome–the water lily “seed”–in an aquatic planter roughly 14” x 7” in size. We recommend using a fabric or burlap planter as they are flexible and porous. Look for options with rope handles to assist with lowering the plant into your pond or container.

Once you have your planter, pour in a generous amount of proper aquatic potting media. This type of soil is heavier than fluffy potting soil which would float out of the container once submerged. Clean up the rhizome before adding it to the soil by removing old leaves and thick, fleshy roots. This will allow the water lily to focus its energy on growing new roots, stems, and blooms.

Make sure to place the rhizome at a 45º angle towards the center of the planter when adding it into the soil. The cut end should be placed at the edge of the pot and deeper into the soil. The growing tip should be exposed above the soil about three quarters of an inch.

To help keep the soil from escaping the planter once submerged, add a layer of gravel or small pebbles on top, about half an inch thick. Use a darker colored gravel if you don’t want the planter to be visible from above the water.

With the gravel in place, you can now lower the aquatic planter into either your decorative container or pond. If using a decorative container, it should be filled with water before you begin lowering the planter. It is important that you lower the planter at an angle to allow air to escape. Set the base of the planter 12”-18” deep under the water’s surface. If you are placing the planter into a pond that is deeper than 18”, utilize a planting ledge or rock support to keep the planter at the correct depth.

Final Notes

Congratulations! You are now on your way to growing your very own water lilies. These aquatic plants have a ferocious appetite and will perform best if well fed, so be sure to fertilize them! You can place aquatic fertilizer pellets directly into the soil.

Water lilies will also thrive in an area that receives at least 8-10 hours of direct sun per day. If your garden does not receive this amount of sun, consider growing a shade-tolerant water lily variety. They can tolerate as little as 4 hours.

If you are new to water lilies or have limited space, start with container growing only. Water lilies will grow to be the size of the container they are in. It may become overwhelming to manage an entire pond of water lilies if you are new to the practice.  Contact us to build a beauty pond to place all those flowers!

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