The marshy creek known as Buffalo Bayou winds lazily around two sides of Bayou Bend, giving the estate its romantic name. Fed by the bayou waters, the lot supports a diverse array of indigenous plant species.

The native trees and shrubs form a spectacular backdrop to the formal gardens, but they also offer their own beauty. In a city famed for its flatness, the estate's dramatic sloping topography is a rare treat. Some of the loveliest wooded areas can be seen on either side of the driveway, near the ravines to the southeast of the house, and along the woodland trails behind the Euterpe and Diana Gardens. Look for flowering dogwood in March and April and magnolia blossoms in May and June.

The canopy of tall trees--pines, elms, and oaks--and the understory of flowering dogwood and redwood are native to the bayou environment. However, these plants actually represent the secondary forest growth in Houston, since the original hardwoods were logged for export in the mid-nineteenth century.

Buffalo Bayou is sometimes prone to flooding, and in severe storms its waters have reached the gardens and even the house. Bayou Bend has also been visited by hurricanes, which have damaged the landscape. The ravines have been stabilized with monkey grass in some places and recycled concrete in others, helping to prevent erosion and soil loss. Today--as in Miss Hogg's time--the native plants are protected, cared for, supplemented, and replaced as necessary.

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