Native Plants

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Tuesday - March 11, 2008

From: Raleigh, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Seeds and Seeding, Soils, Wildflowers
Title: Growing Texas bluebonnets in North Carolina
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I live in North Carolina and love the Texas Bluebonnets. Can I create my own mix of soil to be able to grow them here? Soil is basically red clay and icky.

ANSWER:

You are not the first person who has wanted to grow our beautiful Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet) outside of its native home; therefore, I am going to refer you to a recent question and answer on the subject.

Instead of trying to grow the Texas bluebonnet, why not consider one of the lupines native to North Carolina?

1. Lupinus diffusus (Oak Ridge lupine), photo from USDA Plants Database

2. Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) and the subspecies, Lupinus perennis ssp. gracilis (sundial lupine)

3. Lupinus villosus (lady lupine)

From the Image Gallery

Sundial lupine
Lupinus perennis

Sundial lupine
Lupinus perennis ssp. gracilis

Lady lupine
Lupinus villosus