bluebonnet
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Rain After A Drought Triggered Seed Germination
For two months in September and October we had no rain, and then two inches fell at the beginning of November. That one rainfall triggered a mass germination of seeds that were in the soil here. Some of those seeds may be weedy things that were already in the ground before I got here, but… Continue reading
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Next Year’s Bluebonnets Are Beginning To Emerge
I have not added any new seeds to the wildflower meadow this year, but there are plenty on the ground from natural seeding that occurred earlier. Encouragingly, there are several new Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) rosettes that are already appearing. These will stay small through the winter and then grow bigger in the early spring. In… Continue reading
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A Spectrum Of Colors In The Pollinator Garden
Ideally in the pollinator garden in front of the house, there will be blooms from early spring until late fall, and in a variety of colors. Different insects and birds prefer different colors. Sorted by flower color, this is what is currently in the garden (blooming in late July unless stated otherwise). This list doesn’t… Continue reading
beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, chile pequin, common sunflower, fall aster, flame acanthus, gregg salvia, gregg’s mistflower, gulf muhly, horseherb, lantana, lyreleaf sage, mealy blue sage, pink evening primrose, prairie verbena, scarlet sage, silver ponyfoot, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, sneezeweed, straggler daisy, texas sage, tickseed, yarrow -
New Bluebonnets Popping Up
This was my first year to grow Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) and it has been an interesting learning experience. Soon after seeds were sown in the fall of last year, small leaf rosettes formed and they stayed that size through the winter. In early spring, the plants began to grow, and I had blooms from late… Continue reading
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Tidying Up The Native Flower Meadow
The native plant meadow is my most visible project, right in the middle of the front lawn. Therefore, I want to keep it relatively tidy (inasmuch as a wild nature project can be), and one recent morning’s gardening session was devoted to cleanup in the meadow. By now, I am confident that a lot of… Continue reading
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The Bluebonnet Season Is Longer Than I Expected
Bluebonnets were among the first flowers to bloom this year, in late February. Now, in May, they are no longer the showy display that they were, because so many other things are blooming now as well. Some plants have completely given themselves up to seed and have died, at which point I leave the roots… Continue reading
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New Plants For The Front Pollinator Garden
If you want to skip the preamble, I have a list of plants further down this post. Last year I planted several native plants in the flower bed in front of the house to make a small pollinator garden (replacing builder-installed plants that were not wildlife-friendly). I was pleased with the growth of the plants… Continue reading
barometer bush, beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, chile pequin, fall aster, flame acanthus, gregg salvia, gregg’s mistflower, gulf muhly, horseherb, lantana, lyreleaf sage, mealy blue sage, native plants, pink evening primrose, pollinator garden, prairie verbena, scarlet sage, silver ponyfoot, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, smallflower desert-chicory, straggler daisy, texas sage, texas toadflax, tickseed, volunteer plant, yarrow, zinnia -
I Was Away For A Week. What Did The Garden Do?
I was out of town for April 13-20, 2024. I had a helper to check on seedlings (to lightly water, and evict caterpillars), but other than that, the garden was left to fend for itself. What was different when I returned? Many of the back yard plants had grown several inches, including Firewheel aka Indian… Continue reading
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Bluebonnets Are Beginning To Seed
I’ve never grown Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) before, so I am enjoying watching their life cycle. Seeds for this year’s crop were scattered last fall, and by November or December there were small flat rosettes of leaves which stayed that way until spring. Blooms started appearing in February. There are still blooms in April, but I… Continue reading
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A Wildflower Meadow In An Urban Environment
I have only a small piece of land. I am trying to “wildscape” that as much as possible, but I also need to bear in mind that I am in the middle of a housing development where many of my neighbors (and the HOA!) have expectations as to what an urban lot should look like.… 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 