Water deeply once a month through the winter if you're not getting any soaking rain of at least one inch. Same goes for bermuda and any plants too.

Click on the link that may help you....

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Watering During a Drought

Thanks so much Lou! And thanks for the link also. It's good to realize that shrubs and trees also need watering in winter in this extended extreme drought in the San Antonio area. I've noticed several shrubs dying in my neighborhood.

If you don't want to water in winter grow plants that are adapted or native to this area. After two years of wet season or irrigation they don't need supplemental water to survive. PJ

I love natives! We have such an abundance of beautiful native plants and trees to use here in Texas, but I dunno' ... in a drought such as this even some of the natives are dying. I lost some of the plants in my dwarf youpon holly hedge before I noticed they were suffering. Other plants lost branches. I replanted with the largest specimens I could find, but there will be gaps for three or four years until the new ones gain height and fill out. I ran a drip irrigation system among them. My son has lost Cedar Elm trees on his property. The price of water is so high in the city it costs a hundred dollars or more a month to irrigate in a minimun degree if you have an acre or more. Oh well, we do the best we can.

I just scrolled down to the bottom of the page that Lou linked and see that even Texas Mountain Laurels are in danger of dying, or at of least serious die back. I going out right now to set the sprinkler on mine that's planted in the *ell strip.

I also ran an irregation line along the back property for the Ligustrum trees. I know they are not valued by many, but they were there when we moved in and the berries provide food for the birds. However, they did not bloom at all in 2008 and thus no berries.

The full size Youpon Holly trees produced very few berries this season. The mocking birds that nest in them every year usually eat their berries all winter, but the trees were bare of berries before Christmas this year.

Is there anything I can put out for the mocking birds to eat?

Mockingbirds will eat grapes (I cut them in halves or quarters), blueberries, raisins, etc. Okay, my Mockingbirds are very spoiled! Do you grow Chile Pequin? They put out massive amounts of teeny peppers, which the Mockers really enjoy.

Even my natives are showing signs of stress this winter. Most of the Salvia greggii have gone dormant, instead of being evergreen.

Carla in Rowlett

Wow -- thanks Carla! I'll get some grapes and blueberries today.

Yes, I have several Chile Pequins in the back yard and the neighbors have some too. I just went out and looked and they have only a few green berries left. Maybe the Mockingbirds have already eaten all the red ripe ones so the info about what I can feed them may have come just in time.

They sit out on the Dwarf Youpon Holly hedge sunning in the mornings. I'll try putting the berries in a shallow pan and set it near or on the hedge, and maybe some around the edge of the bird bath and see what happens. Maybe Bob will build a little platform to put them on.

How did you first present the grapes and raisons so they'd find them? I'm thinking I may soak the raisons first.

By the way, I had searched online and on the bird forum and could not find anything about feeding Mockingbirds. So thanks again.

PJ-

I think you're a little confused about native plants tolerating that kind of condition. Native plants can easily survive in their own NATURAL environment. In the artificial environment such as lawn will not. It is that much different from each other so you do need to water native plants in artificial to keep them alive.

I read that even cacti growing wild is dying in some areas.

Pigeon berry (don't know if it's aggressive) is doing really,really well in a field next to my house. I got some of the berries and planted them under a stand of trees in my back yard that reminded me of where they came from. If that doesn't take I'll actually get a whole plant. They had birds feeding on them including a cardinals. They don't seem to care about drought and can even compete with trees. Another thing birds love that's in the field are wild blackberries. They are aggressive and thorny. I'll grow them in a container to control them to some degree. PJ

Although it is just a guide, try this link.
Take special note of the chart that lists the average rainfall and evapotranspiation rate for the area around Houston.

Here is a link that might be useful: Houston Gulf Coast Irrigation Assoc.

All wet, thanks for the link to the chart!

PJ, I grow pigeon berries, but have never seen birds eating them so wondered if they were correctly named. They grow in an area that I can't see from inside the house, so maybe they are eating them and I just don't see it. But of course they have died back now.

BTW, in good soil I can imagine them pretty much taking over an area, but sometimes with soil like mine that propensity is a good thing or there would be nothing there. I love them. And I love the way they have dainty pink flowers, (they never stop blooming all summer) reddish foliage and bright red berries all at the same time, but wouldn't plant them in the areas with improved soil.

I'm more into planting for wildlife than before. Thanks for the suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: