I've lived in Texas for several years now and have never had the chance to be in south or central Texas during early spring when all the wildflowers are in bloom. I tried growing some from seed a few times, including using seeds from the Wildseed Farm in Fredericksburg, but to no avail. The only flower that came up so not what was planted! Seriously, someone must have mixed up a batch of seeds. Can't remember what actually ended up blooming but they sure weren't Bluebonnets or Dame's Rocket. Then, yesterday, I was attending a meeting on a satelite UT campus in Austin and was thrilled to discover the wildflowers were in full force. What a treat - Bluebonnets, Coreopsis, and Gaillardia were happily swaying in the breeze in the fields around campus. During a meeting break a few of us wandered outside to get pictures of the bluebonnets. They really are absolutely gorgeous en masse! None of us thought to bring a camera so we had to settle for a camera phone. I can finally now say I've seen the Texas Bluebonnets blooming in the spring, yay! It was a bit chily though so we did not linger outside for too long.
Well, you certainly found one of the best bluebonnet patches in Austin and made a pretty picture to share with us but I can't imagine where you were that it was chilly. Not over here. I went out with a long sleeve over my tank and soon peeled it off. I would like it to be chilly but it isn't going to do that to please me. Nor is it going to rain. A maybe if I say that it will. By the way, your bluebonnet seeds may yet come up. They often take a while in the soil to scarify. They also need rhizobium in the soil to make them grow well. You can add the inoculant to the soil. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure where this was located in Austin since I'm not from there but the plot of Bluebonnets were behind the Commons Center building. The picture was taken before 1 pm as we were on our lunch hour and there was still a chilly breeze going. It wasn't cold enough to discourage several people from eating outside in the sun though. Thanks for the good wishes on the bluebonnets. I suspect the birds might have eaten the seeds since nothing has come up in that spot.
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