I had a lot of grasshoppers and caterpillars last year. I think something is eating my purple coneflower seedlings too.

The only nocturnal, when you are asleep sneaky thing that also loves fresh salad are snails and slugs. Take a torch and you also become sneaky. Pay surprise visits at night and you might see them. Put out snail bait for them.
Regards,
Arif.

Once it warms up more at night, I'll check outside. The sad thing is, I'd rather have slugs than grasshoppers. At least slugs are easier to control.

Attract birds to your garden, they will take care of the grasshoppers and a lot of other things. Now how you will fool the birds into coming into your garden and taking up lodgings. Depends on your ingenuity.
Regards,
Arif.

I have a bird feeder that was attracting mockingbirds and blackbirds, but I never keep it filled I usually have lots of birds in my yard but none seem to be interested in grasshoppers.

Attracting the wrong kind of birds. Opportunistic scavengers.
Regards,
Arif.

Do you think birdhouses would attract more beneficial birds?

I don't know much about Texas and it's birds. Why don't you place a question on the Texas forum "How to attract beneficial birds" you should get some answers. There are quite a few good gardeners and bird lovers there. Salvias forum also has Hummingbird lovers. Give them a try to.
These big birds like blackbirds, crows, eagles, etc. need a clear flight path to land and take off. Place a few strategic small trees and spoil their fun. Other birds hover, so they do not need a clear flight path.
Here I have put down fruit trees, small ones that birds love to eat. Berries, etc. which do not have much value to humans except maybe kids. The fruit attracts the birds and the trees provide nesting. You can find out what your area birds love, then grow them but for that Texas Forum would be best.
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif for that information. I've been trying to attract hummingbirds into my garden, but I haven't been successful. I have a clear patch on the other side of my house, and where the flowerbeds are in the pictures. I have a berry bush by my front porch and the Mockingbirds love it. Of course, my front porch is now covered in bird droppings and smashed berries lol. I'll post in the Texas forum.

I got a lot of good answers from the Texas forum. I bookmarked a great article that someone posted.

I think I better pay a visit. Got me interested in what you found out .
Regards,
Arif.

Good luck.

Thanks Arif!

I have some updated pictures of my flowerbeds and plants.

Rosa fortuniana



Random flowerbed


Porch Flowerbed


Blue Spruce sedum


Autumn Joy sedum


Crossvines


Wind Chimes and garden decor


Calendulas and Scarlet Flax


Crinum and rose bed


Shade garden pathway


Loquat in new container

Not bad, the Loquat seems to be happier with new leaves already opening . Now meditate on your flower beds, which are naturally dry and sunny, which are naturally dry and shady and which remain moist, sunny or shady depends. Reserve your dry beds for succulents. Now there are two types of succulents some that crave sun and Alpines that crave partial shade or shade. Same way with moisture lovers.
If you mix moisture lovers with moisture haters then you are making your own life difficult. You have to water the moisture lovers while at the same time trying to protect the moisture haters, a tall order indeed. Latter on a time will come when you will ask as to how to retain moisture in clay and your heat then the trouble starts between haters and lovers.
Seasonal flowers, very few are shade lovers but most of the colourful ones love bright sunlight. Zinnia and company will be up in the next season. Anyway once you have differentiated between beds then you will automatically look for plants that meet the requirements of your climate and beds.
I think Alpines might get along with your Cedars, shade and all. Inquire about if Alpine succulents will be happy with them or not then go for hanging arrangement so that it become difficult to water then inadvertently.
As to detailed questions/knowledge which are relevant to the environment of Texas? I am afraid the best place is the Texas forum. At first you may have to pander to their egos, you know stoke their egos like you would a cat or a dog in order to break the ice. Closed group, cagey towards new comers natural human reaction. In summers our temperatures are same so that should be my favorite forum but they end up even biting me that's why I keep away but I have limitations of which I am aware but that does not mean you should back down.
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif. I did a lot of moving around, next week I'll plant my french hollyhock seedlings, as well as my Texas Star hibiscus, a few types of vines, and some of my herbs that I started from seed. I'm using annuals such as cosmos, zinnias, gazanias, and calendulas as fillers in all my flowerbed. The English ivy has taken over the whole area under the cedars, it even choked out my Purple Heart groundcover. Its also having a battle with my crossvine, I'm hoping the crossvine wins.
Should I post my flowerbed pictures in the Texas forum? I also had a question, I want to plant musa Sumatrana in my shade garden. I had one a couple of years ago that died. It only got a few hours of direct sunlight, but it was enough to burn it to a crisp. I bought another one, and it says full sunlight. Do you think it would do well in my shade garden? Thanks again for all your help Arif.

Banana plant likes full sun yes but then it requires moisture and humidity. A tropical climate not an arid. What we do here normally is to route the kitchen sink water to a patch of garden where we want to grow these things. The kitchen waste water is full of nutrients and daily enough water flows through to keep the patch moist and increases the humidity in that area. Non of us can afford to feed it that much water so clean waste water is used and technically the kitchen water is considered clean enough, only food particles. You will have a colony of worms in that patch soon enough which will tell you if the banana plant is happy or not. More earthworms the happier it is . The earth worm thing should tell you what kind of environment it likes. Rich and humid.
Regards,
Arif.