Rewilding My Lot

When I was originally planning this garden, there was an area at the back where I scattered seeds for three kinds of tall wildflowers. I picked Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), and Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis), colored red, white, and purple, respectively, and 3-6 feet in height.

The Standing Cypress took hold immediately and now there is a strong established population here. But I saw no sign of the other two.

The following fall I sowed another batch of Rattlesnake Master seeds, but still got nothing. At that point I decided to stop sowing seed, but if I ever encountered Rattlesnake Master sold in pots I would try planting those.

Finally, in spring 2026, I found three Rattlesnake Master plants in H-E-B’s native plant sale, and planted them in a cluster toward the back of the garden. They are all blooming now.

I find Rattlesnake Master plants interesting. They look like a thistle but are actually in the carrot family. The plant’s common name is attributed to early European pioneers erroneously believing its roots to be an antidote for rattlesnake venom, based on how they saw Native Americans using it.

These plants are perennials, so hopefully over time they will grow into bigger and stronger clumps. I will have to wait to see if they are happy enough here to self seed as well.