Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

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.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

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.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
Not Yet Rated

Monday - August 31, 2015

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Meadow Gardens, Seeds and Seeding, Wildflowers
Title: Wildflowers for April wedding near Austin TX
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Home wedding April 2016. Live North of Austin.on 200 acres ranch and would like to plant wildflowers. What to plant? When to plant? Flowers that will sustain in vase or bouquet?

ANSWER:

Normally, the first weekend in April is when we expect of the peak of the Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet) bloom—so, this is is a definite flower species to plan on.  Another plant you generally see blooming with the bluebonnets is Castilleja indivisa (Entireleaf indian paintbrush).   Both of these species are listed in our Cut-flower Suitable Species, a list of native Central Texas plants suitable for cut-flower arrangements. The list contains 200 species, but you can narrow the list to those plants that bloom in March and April by selecting those two months from the option, BLOOM TIME, in the NARROW YOUR SEARCH sidebar.  Native American Seed in Junction TX is one of the Associates in our National Suppliers Directory.  They have a great inventory of native seeds and I think their mix, Lady Bird's Legacy Wildflower Mix, would be perfect for you.  All of the species on that list also occur on the Cut-flower Suitable Species list and more than one half of them bloom in April.

Here are the species that occur on both lists that bloom in March and/or April:

Callirhoe involucrata (Winecup)

Castilleja indivisa (Entireleaf indian paintbrush)

Coreopsis tinctoria (Plains coreopsis)

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)

Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida (Prairie verbena)

Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)

Oenothera speciosa (Pink evening primrose)

They do also have seeds of individual species of many of the other wildflowers on the Cut-flower Suitable Species list.

We have special "How to Articles" telling you How to Grow Bluebonnets and Scarification FAQs under ALL ABOUT BLUEBONNETS.  Since you have 200 acres, you would probably be interested in the articles under LARGE SCALE WILDFLOWER PLANTINGS also on our "How to Articles" page—Getting Started and Meadow Gardening

You will see in the "How to Grow Bluebonnets" article that it is recommended to sow the seeds by early October since they will germinate then and grow throughout the winter season.  The "Meadow Gardening" article also recommends sowing other wild flower seeds in the fall since many of the seeds require exposure to cold temperatures in order to germinate in the spring.

You need to keep in mind that the abundance of the wildflowers that will bloom depends on several factors—the main one being the weather and, in particular, the rainfall.  In spring 2015 we had a spectacular show of bluebonnets and other March and April bloomers because we had more than adequate rainfall during the winter and spring.  As you no doubt know, we are not so lucky with our rainfall every year so you should have some plans to supplement the use of wildflowers for your wedding. 

If you follow the guidelines for maintaining your meadow garden, you should have beautiful flowers there for many years to come.

 

 

 

 

From the Image Gallery


Winecup
Callirhoe involucrata

Texas indian paintbrush
Castilleja indivisa

Plains coreopsis
Coreopsis tinctoria

Eastern purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea

Prairie verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida var. bipinnatifida

Texas bluebonnet
Lupinus texensis

Pink evening primrose
Oenothera speciosa

More Meadow Gardens Questions

Removing St. Augustine, replacing with native plants
October 06, 2007 - Hello Mr. Smarty Plants, always excited to talk to the Green Guru himself. I've recently purchased a house in South Austin and am interested in establishing a small, 500+ sq ft, prairie grass and wi...
view the full question and answer

Should the herbicide Ornamec 170 be used on unwanted grasses?
March 15, 2012 - I have a lovely wildflower garden in a field behind my house; unfortunately, the wildflowers are being smothered by grasses. I understand that Ornamec 170 can be used to control grasses in wildflower...
view the full question and answer

Early, middle and late blooming flowers for pollinators in East Texas
July 05, 2010 - On our farm in northeast Texas we are participating in a Conservation Program through the NRCS. We have to plant 4 acres for pollinators--early blooming, middle blooming, and late blooming. I need t...
view the full question and answer

Groundcovers for Miami, FL
November 10, 2011 - I live in Miami, Florida. I have a medium size Bismarck Palm in my front yard. What would be a good ground cover other than grass around this palm?
view the full question and answer

Wildflower garden for Driftwood, TX
August 20, 2013 - I would like to plant wildflowers in a fairly large field on a slope. The slope is a little rocky and is located in Driftwood, TX. I have been thinking about a mixture of Bluebonnets and Indian Blank...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.