meadow
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Adding Zizotes Milkweed Seeds To The Meadow
Of the native milkweeds that I am trying to establish in the back garden, by far the most successful is Zizotes Milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides). I scattered seed in one area in spring 2024, and I think a couple of plants grew from that activity. Now there are about a dozen plants that have apparently self-seeded… Continue reading
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New Wildflower Seeds
I am still trying to increase the diversity of plants in the front meadow, so as I accumulate seeds during the year I add them to the meadow during fall (by the end of November). A good time to sow the seed is soon after the fall mowing, which this year was done in mid-October.… Continue reading
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Tucking The Wildflower Meadow In For The Winter
Sometime during the month of October each year, the wildflower meadow in front of the house is cut down and mown for its winter break. This is to give it a neater look for a few months, since it is in a publicly visible space. By this time of year, the spring annuals have long… Continue reading
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The Meadow Is Transitioning
In front of the house, the area that would otherwise be a front lawn is instead a seasonal wildflower meadow. It is mown during the winter, but allowed to grow taller from about March to November. During the first few weeks of the meadow emerging in spring, almost all of the blooms were Texas Bluebonnets… Continue reading
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The Wildflower Meadow Is Happy After Two Inches Of Rain
We have had a very dry winter and early spring, so we were pretty parched by the time we got to early March. In fact, as of March 3, 2026, our entire county (Guadalupe) and surrounding area was defined as being in extreme drought. (Image is from drought.gov.) From March 7-11, we finally received 2.46… 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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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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Adding Mealy Blue Sage To The Meadow
There are a lot of Mealy Blue Sage (Salvia farinacea) plants in the back garden. In the summer of 2024 they grew from seed that I had dispersed the previous fall. These are perennial plants that bloom from spring to fall and are particularly popular with large bees. Here’s a brief video of some bee… 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.
