Native Plants
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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.
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Friday - March 31, 2006
From: Atlanta, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Peak period for viewing Central Texas wildflowers
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
My daughter lives in San Antonio now. I want to time my next visit with the peak period to blue bonnets and other TX wildflowers. When do you recommend that I visit and come to the Center for the first time. A visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Center has been a dream for many decades. Thank You.ANSWER:
There's no better time than the present! The peak of bluebonnet and other wildflowers—paintbrushes, pink evening primrose, winecups and more—usually occurs around the first weekend in April. Even though we didn't have very much rain this winter, with our recent rains the wildflowers are beginning to respond and put on a lovely show. Every Spring, in order to help you decide where and when to go to see this beautiful phenomenon, we devote a portion of our website to wildflower sightings in the area. You can view this information, beginning around the middle of March, by browsing the Wildflower Center website and choosing the link from the "What's New" section. Another useful service that provides wildflower wayfinding routes through our region is a group called Lonestar Internet, Inc. When wildflowers begin to bloom around mid-March you can pick "Travel Services" and then "Road Conditions" on the Texas Department of Transportation web page to learn of the best wildflower sightings. You can find more routes and information at the Texas Hill Country Wildflower Trail web site. DeWitt County offers its own wildflower site as does Brenham, Texas in Washington County. On the Brenham page, select "Visitor Information", then "Nature Watch" to find their information on wildflowers.More Wildflowers Questions
Are Brown-eyed susans and Black-eyed susans the same species?
December 02, 2014 - Are Brown eyed Susans the same as the Black-eyed Susan? I've read that they are both common names for the same plant, but the flower looks slightly different in different regions. Thank you.
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Project on natives in Connecticut from Chino CA
April 13, 2010 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
My 10 yr. old daughter is doing a project on Ct., and would like to know what the most common plants, trees and flowers are found in this state. A few of each would be a great ...
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Preparation of seeds of Cosmos parviflorus for planting
July 21, 2014 - This is in regards to Cosmos Parviflorus. I reside directly outside of Big Bend National Park in Terlingua, TX. Cosmos Parviflorus grows naturally here and I have collected some seeds from a couple of...
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Bluebonnets and Texas
March 20, 2004 - Can I plant Bluebonnets outside of Texas?
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Source for dotted blue-eyed grass from Saluda SC
February 23, 2013 - I lived in Texas for several years and now live on acreage in South Carolina. I have heard that bluebonnets don't grow well in South Carolina. However, there is a place by the road near our house t...
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