Buchanan’s Native Plants at 40: How a Heights Nursery Bet Early on Growing Native
Photo: Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Long before native plants and pollinator gardens were a regular topic at Houston garden clubs, a small nursery in the Heights was betting that Houstonians would want to grow what grows naturally here. Forty years later, Buchanan’s Native Plants is still at it, and the family business marked the milestone this month with its annual Fall Fest.
A book, two sisters and a lot on Heights Boulevard
Buchanan’s opened in October 1986 at 111 Heights Blvd., according to the nursery’s published history. It was started by Donna Buchanan and her sister, Virginia DeCamp. The idea grew out of Sally Wasowski’s book Native Texas Plants, an influential guide that made the case for landscaping with species adapted to the state’s soils, heat and rainfall.
At the time, that was a niche idea. Many Houston yards were built around thirsty turf and imported ornamentals, and native plants were hard to find at retail. The sisters set out to change that, stocking species suited to the Gulf Coast’s heavy clay, humidity and alternating floods and droughts.
Growing through acquisitions
The business expanded quickly. In October 1989, Buchanan’s bought All Green Nursery on Telephone Road, a nursery that had already been operating for about 40 years. The purchase brought with it employees including Frank Ramos and Salvador Saavedra. Saavedra is still with Buchanan’s today, a rare kind of continuity in retail.
In 1992, the nursery bought the property at 611 E. 11th St., which became its long-term home in the Heights. Two years later, in 1994, Buchanan’s sold All Green and focused on the Heights location.
The next generation
In August 2016, Donna’s son Zach and his wife, Heather, took over the day-to-day operation of the business. Under their management, Buchanan’s has kept its focus on native and well-adapted plants while operating as a full neighborhood garden center.
Community Impact, which covered the anniversary on Oct. 1, noted the nursery’s 40th-anniversary celebration at this year’s Fall Fest, held Oct. 3. Fall is one of the busiest seasons for Houston gardeners, since cooler weather and fall rains make it the best time of year to plant trees, shrubs and perennials so their roots can establish before summer heat returns.
Why native plants caught on
The interest that Buchanan’s anticipated in 1986 has become mainstream. Houston’s extreme weather, from the 2021 winter freeze to recent summers of record heat, has pushed many gardeners toward plants that can handle local conditions with less water and fewer replacements. Pollinator gardens and plants that support monarch butterflies have also drawn new interest, with species such as native milkweeds, Turk’s cap, American beautyberry and coral honeysuckle showing up in more yards.
Local groups including the Native Plant Society of Texas and Houston-area master gardener programs have helped spread the message, and neighborhood associations and civic clubs in the Heights and elsewhere have added native plantings to esplanades and public spaces.
A small business in a changing neighborhood
Buchanan’s has stayed independent through decades of change in the Heights. The neighborhood around 11th Street has seen rising property values, new townhomes on former single-family lots, and new commercial development along corridors such as Yale Street. Independent garden centers across the country have faced pressure from big-box stores and online sellers, which makes a 40-year run by a family nursery notable.
Part of the nursery’s staying power has been its role as a neighborhood gathering spot. Events like Fall Fest, classes and staff who can answer specific questions about Houston soils and pests give customers reasons to visit in person rather than buy plants online.
If you go
Buchanan’s Native Plants is at 611 E. 11th St. in the Houston Heights and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The nursery can be reached at 713-861-5702. With fall planting season under way, the coming weeks are a good time to visit for trees, shrubs and perennials that will establish before next summer.
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