Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - April 03, 2009
From: Longview, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: How do I grow bluebonnets in East Texas?
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I live in the Piney Woods region in N.East Texas. I bought a flat of bluebonnets and want to know if they will grow back next year? If not, how do I get bluebonnets to grow back every year in my yard as they do in the wild?ANSWER:
The bluebonnet Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet) was originally designated the Texas state flower in 1901, but subsequently, all bluebonnet species that grow in Texas have been designated the state flower.
The bluebonnet is described as a winter annual. That means that it germinates in the fall, grows through the winter, and flowers in the spring. Any plants that show up the following year are the result of seed germination. So if your flat of bluebonnets flowered, your next year's bluebonnets are in the seed pods of this year's plants.
Here at the Wildflower Center, we get lots of questions about bluebonnets, so a "How to article" has been prepared that explains how to plant, grow, collect seeds, and appreciate these beautiful flowers.
Also, these two previously answered questions have more information about bluebonnets.
More Wildflowers Questions
Wildflowers being mowed in Canyon TX
June 03, 2012 - Can I receive a letter from someone there to put up in our neighborhood? I live in an area very close to Palo Duro Canyon. A developer out here mows down the wildflowers along the one lane road. It ...
view the full question and answer
Should I thin my bluebonnet seedlings in Austin, TX
October 20, 2009 - It is October, and we have hundreds, maybe thousands, of bluebonnets sprouting at Eilers Park. The seeds are from plants we installed last year. They look like they should be thinned. Should we thin t...
view the full question and answer
Bluebonnet blooming in late August
August 27, 2008 - We have a bluebonnet plant in our front yard that has been blooming since July. We did not plant it, it just came up naturally. Is it rare to have a plant still blooming this time of year?
view the full question and answer
Propagation of wildflower seeds
November 13, 2008 - I recently planted seeds for bluebonnets, winecups and pink evening primrose. The bluebonnets have germinated and are growing, but no sign of the other two.
Do the winecups and pink evening primro...
view the full question and answer
Critter-Proof Native Plants for Virginia Lawn
April 02, 2015 - We live in a gated community that was part of the Wilderness Battlefield during the Civil War. Our home is on a narrow lot, fully treed except for a postage stamp-sized lawn at lake side. We have de...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |