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Friday - April 16, 2010

From: McAllen, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Wildflowers for an April wedding in McAllen TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I live in McAllen Texas and plan to get married April 2011. My dream is to get married at my parents ranch. I visualize beautiful wildflowers and I am not sure what to plant and when. Any suggestions?

ANSWER:

It's April now, so the first thing you want to do is go see what is blooming now, because that should be what will be blooming next year. As far as you can, you should depend on already-established grasses, trees and wildflowers. When you go to see what is blooming in April, it would be a good idea to take a good guidebook to the wildflowers of Texas. See the Bibliography below for a number of books on that subject. One of our favorites is Wildflowers of Texas (2003) by Ajilvsgi, Geyata, because it has pages color-coded by the color of the flowers, to make it faster to find what you are looking for. Before you visualize flowers that won't grow there or don't bloom in April, you need to know what does bloom there.

We are going to suggest that you read our How-To Article on Meadow Gardening, because hopefully that is what you already have on the portion of the property you are planning for your wedding. You can enhance it by putting out some wildflower seeds, but don't try planting any that don't belong there, because you will be wasting your time. We recommend planting seeds at about the same time plants are dropping their seeds naturally, which in Texas is usually Fall. Be sure and read the instructions in the Meadow Gardening article about dropping the seed. We are going to give you a list of the Texas wildflowers that ordinarily bloom in April and grow in the area of Hidalgo Co. on the southern tip of Texas. Follow the plant links to our page on that individual plant to learn its growing conditions, size and so forth. Note that the only seeds you will likely get flowers from next April will be annuals. Perennials and biennials don't bloom until their second year. Those on our list are all annuals that could give you some results by next April, and perhaps continue to propagate themselves to grace the area for a long time to come.

April-blooming Texas wildflowers for Hidalgo County TX:

Amblyolepis setigera (huisache daisy)

Castilleja indivisa (entireleaf Indian paintbrush)

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Dakota mock vervain)

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. ciliata (Dakota mock vervain)

Lupinus subcarnosus (Texas bluebonnet)

Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)

Monarda punctata (spotted beebalm)

Phlox drummondii ssp. mcallisteri (McAllister's phlox)

From our Native Plant Image Gallery: