Bluebonnet - The State Flower of Texas

The State Flower of Texas is the Bluebonnet, written as one word.  Lupinus texensis is the species most often listed, but all bluebonnet species are considered the Texas State Flower.

The Texas Bluebonnet is endemic (native) mostly in the state of Texas.  It grows in full sunlight, and grows in uncultivated areas.  

There are also white and pink bluebonnets that grow in nature.  White bluebonnets are rare, and pinks ones are even rarer. Now there are maroon bluebonnets, although they were developed by two horticulturists, Greg Grant and Dr. Jerry Parsons.

If you want to buy seeds or plants of the white, pink or maroon bluebonnets, be careful where you plant them.  If you plant them close to blue bluebonnets, they might naturally revert to their blue color, or the colors might mix because cross-pollination.

Plant Bluebonnets in the Fall, not Spring

Bluebonnets should be planted from early September to mid-November, although a little later will probably be alright.

Bluebonnet seeds need time to germinate and grow during the winter months before blooming in the spring. Bluebonnets need full sun, and well drained and alkaline soil.

Bluebonnet seeds can't just be tossed out onto the ground. The seeds are large with a hard coating  which has be be worn down by rain, decay, and abrasion before they can begin to sprout.

Since the 1930s, the The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wildflower program delays all mowing, except for safety reasons, until the wildflower seasons are over. This practice allows wildflowers and native grasses to grow.

The TxDOT buys and sows about 30,000 pounds of wildflower seed each year. Other Texas wildflowers include Indian paintbrush, winecup, primrose, Mexican hat, Drummond phlox, and prairie verbena, Tourists from all across the U.S. come to see the flowers in bloom each spring.

It's not illegal to pick wildflowers, but if everyone did, other people couldn't enjoy them and the plants wouldn't go to seed for the next year's season.  It's a Texas tradition to take photographs of your children in a field of bluebonnets, but don't trample them down and watch out for snakes and fire ants.

photo by author

If you don't have room for a garden, build some raised beds or use deep planters.  Add at least 6 inches of soil, and add in some organic matter.  Keep the soil slightly moist.

You must lightly cover the seed or rake it into the soil before it can germinate. Don't add fertilizer because it will only cause more leaves to grow, but not more blooms. Some seed might sprout before 10 days, but other seeds might take a lot longer. 

And don't be surprised if your bluebonnets don't do well the first year.  They have to go through a cold winter and sometimes this doesn't happen. 

Be patient.  Once the plants are established they will become tougher and drought-tolerant.

Photo by author.

This photo shows blooming bluebonnets and you can see seed pods from plants that bloomed earlier.

If you plant bluebonnets in a field or garden, you can let your seed pods open naturally to drop seeds for next year's crop.  

But if you want to store the seed to plant somewhere else, the pods need to be gathered  before they explode and scatter the seed.  And don't forget - if you're growing white, pink or maroon bluebonnets, you won't want your seeds to mix in with regular  bluebonnets because their colors will probably revert back to blue.

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Bluebonnet seed pods can be dried on newspapers and then opened to release the seeds.  The seeds MUST be thoroughly air dried so mold won't grow on them.  Moldy seeds won't grow. 

Store completely dry seeds in a container that water (or pests) can't get in, such as a glass jar or metal can with lid.  Add a packet of desiccant (silica gel) to the container to make sure the seed stays completely dry.  Seed stored correctly will be good for several years.  If you're new to storing seeds, you might check on them from time to time to make sure they're staying dry.

Photo by authot