bluebonnet
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Bluebonnets And Wildflowers As Early Succession Plants
Secondary ecological succession naturally occurs after land is disturbed in some way. This is when plants and other aspects of nature appear in a somewhat predictable order to repopulate an area that has been disrupted by fire, hurricane, farming, etc. (Primary succession occurs in areas where there has never been soil before, such as at… Continue reading
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Rapid Freeze Recovery
In mid February in central Texas, it’s still too early to say whether we’ll get another freeze this winter. In January we had a single night in the 20s F, and a few days later a more extended period of freezing with overnight temperatures in the teens F. For several of the deciduous perennials here,… Continue reading
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The First Bluebonnet Blooms Of 2026
I seeded Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) in front of the house in fall 2023 and now there are hundreds of plants in that “meadow” area. There are also many behind the house as well. This is how tightly packed they are near the street. Bluebonnets are among the earliest of the wildflowers to bloom, and… Continue reading
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How Did The Garden Handle A (Wet) Freeze?
Since the garden here is primarily made up of native plants, I generally don’t need to worry about winter freezes — the plants have evolved to handle those situations. However, there are a few protective things that I do before, during, and after freezes to take extra care. Here’s a summary. Until January 2026, the… Continue reading
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A Mid November Look Around The Garden
It is already mid November, but even for central Texas we still have unusually high temperatures (daytime 80s F). Despite the warmth, the garden is clearly making seasonal changes so I thought it might be interesting to take a look around. I keep the area in front of the house fairly neat. For instance, I… Continue reading
american beautyberry, beach sunflower, blackfoot daisy, bluebonnet, common sunflower, cowpen daisy, fall, flame acanthus, food, frogfruit, frostweed, habitat, indiangrass, leaf litter, meadow, mealy blue sage, mexican mint marigold, mexican plum, native grasses, rock rose, season, shelter, shrubby boneset, texas mountain laurel, white mistflower, yellow yucca -
Increasing Diversity In The Wildflower Meadow
The wildflower meadow in the front of the house has completed two seasons of growth. Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) and Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) have done very well, with some spectacular displays in the spring. A few other wildflowers have grown too, but even though this is a small and limited area, I would… Continue reading
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Fall Mowing Of The Wildflower Meadow
October is a good time to put the wildflower meadow in front of the house to bed for the winter. It’s a seasonal project, so to keep the area tidy this is when it gets a good trim. The process for 2025 was largely the same as I did in October 2024. The plants still… Continue reading
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Confused Wildflowers
When annual plants have finished here, I shred them and lay the resulting material down as mulch. Often there are seeds in what gets put down, and sometimes those seeds grow. One of those places is the strip next to the house on the north side. Here, the Bermudagrass doesn’t grow well in the shade… Continue reading
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Wildflower Meadow Nearing The End Of Its Season
The current status of the wildflower meadow in front of the house is that much of the area is empty and the flowers that remain are mostly yellow and white. Primarily what is growing at the beginning of October are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis), Yellow Sneezeweed (Helenium amarum), Lindheimer’s Doveweed aka Woolly Croton (Croton lindheimeri),… Continue reading
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Bonus Wildflowers Beside The House
One of the areas in the garden that I am newly developing this year is the narrow strip of land that is on the north side of the house. Because of shade, the builder-installed Bermudagrass is not doing well. However, Bermudagrass is not helpful for the environment and I have no intention of encouraging it… Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 