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Think how many streets, schools and businesses, for example, have “bluebonnet” in their names.
But bluebonnets aren’t as easy to grow as some would like, so a lot of advice – verbal and written – is sought and given about how to get a stand of bluebonnets that grows reliably and blooms in beautiful masses each spring.
Bluebonnet plants are vigorous growers and generally prefer alkaline soil that’s less-than-the-best, but well-drained. They’ve adapted to survive in our periodic droughts. They’re pretty tough plants. But much advice offered each year comes too late to help with starting plants from seeds for your bluebonnets. That’s why we’re writing about them now.
The real Texas State Flower
Being the Texas state flower puts bluebonnets in an exclusive category but not as unique as we think. We actually have six (currently) different bluebonnets species as our state flower. Some sources say we have five. And the bluebonnet most of us recognize on sight was not even our first state flower. The 1901 Texas legislature first designated a Texas state flower – the bluebonnet species Lupinus subcarnosus. But the bluebonnet most of us recognize on sight is Lupinus texensis. It’s said some people actually wanted L. texensis to be the original state flower. The blooms do look similar, but are not alike, and the two species of bluebonnets grow in different areas of the state for the most part. Just a few places – like DeWitt County – have both. In 1971, the Texas Legislature fixed the confusion by designating all bluebonnets found growing naturally in Texas as state flower. Four more species that meet that criteria have been found, so there are six Texas state flowers without any legislative effort since 1971. Some sources, by the way, do not correctly give the actual events and current status of our Texas state flowers. Misinformation seems to have crept into some accounts.
How to grow your own Texas Bluebonnets
The easiest way to get your own bed of bluebonnets is to buy transplants to put in your bed several months before bloom time so they can grow and bloom that year. Don’t cover the transplants’ crowns when you plant them in your bed. Your transplants will almost certainly be L. texensis. L. texensis is the bluebonnet TX DOT plants to produce the beautiful roadside blooms we enjoy seeing in early spring, for example. And it’s the most commonly available species.
Bluebonnets can also be grown from seed, and much advice is available on the how-to’s of this method. The two parts of growing from seed that cause the most confusion are “scarification” of the seeds and “rhizobium,” a bacteria said to promote blooms among its other uses. Again, much misinformation is available. The best final advice is to contact the Wildflower Center (Lady Bird Johnson’s center) in Austin or Texas A&M’s horticultural experts on bluebonnets. Both these sources have guidelines for growing bluebonnets on their Web sites, and much of it has been made available in printed form in various places. Nurseries and extension offices may have copies, for example. One guideline is to plant the best species available for your area and your soil type to achieve the best results in your bluebonnet bed. For Victoria, the best is L. texensis.
Some guidelines for growing bluebonnets from seeds
No matter what variety of bluebonnet you are growing, planting its seed can begin Sept. 1 and may continue through Dec. 15 at the latest, reports one expert source. It reports best results are most likely if you plant seeds by November 1. Another expert source recommends planting in October or November, and reports early October planting likely produces the best results. The seeds need time to germinate and grow though the winter, developing a heavy root system and sturdy plant to produce abundant flowers the next spring. Bluebonnets are annuals which germinate in fall, grow in winter, and bloom in spring. Once established, they reseed to establish a good stand after several years.
Our stand started with a handful of clearance (less than 25 cents per plant) transplants planted not long after we arrived in Victoria. It’s planted in some alkaline soil that drains fairly well – definitely not the best soil in our yard – and is located in sun for much of the day. It reseeds itself and has definitely increased from its original few plants. Mid-May generally finds green seedpods forming. They turn yellow and then brown, and the seeds mature sometime between the yellow and brown stages. For reseeding stands like ours, simply let the pods drop their seeds, thus starting the process all over again without human intervention. The main thing we must do is not disturb them after they bloom. That means not cutting or removing surrounding plants (including some weeds) for 6 to 8 weeks.
Bluebonnets do require some moisture to germinate and grow. So we must also keep our stand moist to provide them the growing conditions they like. They do not like saturated soil but prefer light, occasional watering if fall or winter rainfall is low. Also, seeds must be in contact with the soil to germinate. The soil helps retain moisture around the seeds and provides a good base for the developing seedlings. Pat seeds into the soil, or cover them with only about ¼ inch of dirt. L. texensis is adapted to alkaline soils low in nutrients, so fertilizing is not usually needed. Bluebonnets are kin to peas (legumes), so they can utilize natural fertilizer, such as rhizobium, that the soil may happen to contain already. This encourages blooming.
Fertilizing or treating with rhizobium
Over-fertilizing encourages leggy, weak plants with few blooms. If your plants don’t grow vigorously, you may want to fertilize lightly in early spring or treat them with rhizobium. But remember many transplants not treated with rhizobium grow and bloom in regular soil not treated with rhizobium. Obtaining rhizobium, if you want to use it, involves contacting your nurseryman or extension office to learn where it’s currently available.
Scarifying seeds to encourage germination
Generally, bluebonnet seeds don’t all germinate the year they are planted. This is one survival technique bluebonnets enjoy. In drought periods, some seeds are left in the ground to germinate over the next several years to allow the species to survive. The seeds’ hard coating makes this possible. But it can be frustrating when we’re growing bluebonnets from seed and get a low germination rate.
There are several methods of “scarification” designed to overcome the low germination rate. One is to freeze the seed overnight. Then pour boiling water over them briefly, followed by soaking them for several hours at room temperature. Another scarification option involves freezing the seeds overnight and then soaking them several days at room temperature. A third possible method is to nick the seed with a knife. A fourth option is rubbing the seed with sandpaper. Another scarifying method uses a food blender. Using the blender’s “pulse” option, keep the blending time less than five seconds to scar the seeds’ surface. Then soak them in water overnight. The scarifying method used by commercial seed sources uses sulfuric acid. It is not advised for home use.
The upshot of all this
“Bluebonnet time” in Texas has become a draw for tourists as well as a time that locals enjoy. Knowing when the bluebonnets will bloom in a certain year and how lush their blooming masses will be could make someone some money. But when all else is said and done, bluebonnets’ blooming is the result of uncontrollable factors such as weather. Winter temperatures and fall and winter rains affect the time and profuseness of their blooming. And that leaves us amateur growers not always knowing either when dealing with our own bluebonnet stands.
A startling but telling example of success with bluebonnets was the bluebonnet stand my great-aunt had. She lived in a small, old East Texas town and grew her own stand of bluebonnets to the amazement of all her friends and relatives. Bluebonnets were not common that far north in East Texas. Hers were not gorgeous bluebonnets, probably not L. texensis. But every year their blooms lifted folks’ spirits and told them spring really had arrived when they saw the blooms out behind Annie Lee’s little duplex unit. Friends and relatives came to see them every year during their bloom time. She didn’t have any “fancy things” (her words) she did to them. She’d say she just loved them, that’s all.
Paul and Mary Meredith are master naturalists. Contact them at paulmary0211@sbcglobal.net.