Native Plants

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?

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

Wednesday - February 27, 2013

From: Laceys Spring, AL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Wildflower Center, Wildflowers
Title: Wildflower blooming in Austin in mid-March from Laceys Spring AL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi I will be at and around the center the weekend of March 9 & 10 to exhibit in the Art and Artisan's Festival and plan to stay a few extra days to "wildflower" either before or after. What is your recommendation in regard to the blooming going on now and expected pattern. Obviously would prefer to see most blooms possible.

ANSWER:

We are delighted you will be here for the Artists and Artisans Festival as well as doing some wildflower viewing. You will actually be here in a prime time for flower viewing. The ever-popular bluebonnet is reliably in full bloom from early March to mid-April. Here is a previous Mr. Smarty Plants question that has good information on where to tour in this area. This answer was for someone in Arkansas who wanted to know the same thing you do, so you can ignore the references to other parts of the state. From our Native Plant Database. we are going to give you a list of the wildflowers blooming from February through April in Central Texas. You should be able to see all of them in the Center itself, and be sure you get the map for visitors when you first check in. Enjoy!

Wildflowers blooming February to April in Central Texas:

Amblyolepis setigera (Huisache daisy)

Castilleja indivisa (Entireleaf indian paintbrush)

Callirhoe involucrata (Winecup)

Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis)

Coreopsis tinctoria var. tinctoria (Golden tickseed)

Dracopis amplexicaulis (Clasping coneflower)

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)

Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)

Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy)

Oenothera speciosa (Pink evening primrose)

Salvia roemeriana (Cedar sage)