Native Plants

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Thursday - January 23, 2014

From: Lockhart, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Seasonal Tasks
Title: Bluebonnet Planting in January in Lockhart
Answered by: Larry Larson

QUESTION:

My husband has yet again failed for the second year straight to put out the bluebonnet seeds in our backyard back in October. Is it too late now that it's mid January for me to get them in the ground or started inside?

ANSWER:

You sound a lot like Mrs. Smarty Plants - - She'd be reading this and nodding uh-huh, uh-huh.

But, sadly, I have to admit that your expectations are right. It is REALLY late to be putting seeds out, or even trying to force germination indoors. If you take a close look where they grow naturally, you'll see that they are germinated and likely grown to 1-3". Pretty much just waiting for the spring rains to spur their big growth spurt and flowering. Actually, just to get a bit of color and get this going, getting a few from a native nursery or transplanting a few of those you found [from where you can take them legally of course] may be your best course of action. I bet the Mr. would remember then next fall to do the planting also!

Mr Smarty Plants has also taken a variety of similar questions. If you read these, the answer won’t change very much but there is a variety of addition information you might find interesting:
MSP on Transplanting Bluebonnets
Planting wildflowers in spring for spring bloom
Another January question: Planting bluebonnets on UT Campus in Austin
Planting wildflower seeds in Texas in February
Is it illegal in Texas to pick bluebonnets? No

I also found for you a “How-to Article on Planting and Caring for Bluebonnets”. In the same list of How-to articles there are also separate articles on Rhizobium and on seed scarification.

In the meantime - May I offer you some Bluebonnet pictures?

From the Image Gallery

Texas bluebonnet
Lupinus texensis