The Great Bluebonnet Project

[ronjhall]

We are heading East. Hope to stop at Jim,s place and get a picture with our motor home setting in the middle of them Bluebonnets. :thumbsup:

 

[jinman]

We are heading East. Hope to stop at Jim,s place and get a picture with our motor home setting in the middle of them Bluebonnets. :thumbsup:

Well Ron, there's a small patch of bluebonnets right beside where you will park, but I've been disappointed with the size of the plants. I think I let my excitement over seeing so many plants cloud my judgement a bit. The fellow at the LBJ Wildflower Center mentioned that my great germination rate might be related to the fact that there were not many other plants competing because the soil was pretty lousy. I thought that was a good thing for bluebonnets, but it seems that allows them to germinate, but limits their growth. I should have supplemented them with a light application of fertilizer. Now, I have a lot of little plants with small blooms. It's not the showy display I had hoped for, but darn nice for a first year project. Next year, I'll do the fertilizer and see if I can get them to grow bigger. I haven't taken any pictures because they are not quite at their peak. Hopefully, they will be there just as you arrive on Monday or Tuesday. What I have done is string out 300+ feet of hose with a sprinkler I move around all day to keep them watered. We haven't had any significant rain in a month and the ground is starting to dry and crack.

Bird: That's sure a nice display of bluebonnets at that house. I wonder if they reseed each year or let them go until they dry out and the seeds fall? To do that, they would have to not mow that area until about June. Most HOAs and city ordinances won't let folks let their lawns go that long without mowing.

 

[Bird]

Jim, I've never met the folks that live there, but Margaret has and says they're about our age and real nice folks. I don't know whether he does any seeding or not, but do know that he doesn't mow that area until the bluebonnets are gone; at least for the 4 years we've been here. Then the rest of the year, he keeps it neatly mowed. And I'm guessing that he does some seeding, because it seems to me that they cover a larger area than usual.

Of course we don't have any HOA here (or I would never have bought in this area), but in 2007 some people challenged the city ordinance because they said they were using "native" plants for landscaping, that they shouldn't be mowed, and that they used less water, etc. So the ordinance got changed. So we have a xeriscape ordinance. I don't think anyone would dare challenge the guy since bluebonnets are the state flower and since I think that home was there before this city was incorporated. The "normal" height limit for grass is 6", but "ornamental" grasses can be up to 36".

 

[jinman]

Okay ya'll, the bluebonnets are up and makin' me proud. I'm too much of a perfectionist to be completely happy with my results, but in reality, I should be thrilled with my first year results. Here are some pictures taken a couple of days ago.

 

[jinman]

What may be the most amazing part of all of this is the results of respreading the seeds where I scraped off the bluebonnets for my transplant. Here are serveral pictures of the area where the bluebonnets came from. If I didn't know I'd taken the soil, I would not be able to tell.

 

[The Dougster]

Beautiful photos Jinman.. As always in Central Texas, the wildflowers are putting on quite a show... this is a good thing and a bad thing. My yard looks awful 'cuz Da warden won't let me mow because of the Bluebonnets <sigh>
Last week at the ranch in Lampasas County, I ran over a few with my 'Bota and you'd have thought I'd insulted the Pope... Oh well.... lol

 

[Bird]

in reality, I should be thrilled with my first year results

Yes, I would say so. I certainly would be.

 

[ronjhall]

Okay ya'll, the bluebonnets are up and makin' me proud. I'm too much of a perfectionist to be completely happy with my results, but in reality, I should be thrilled with my first year results. Here are some pictures taken a couple of days ago.

I just do not understand why we did not see any KITTIES in the Bluebonnets when we where at your place.

 

[jinman]

I just do not understand why we did not see any KITTIES in the Bluebonnets when we where at your place.

With a "vicious" animal like that, who can blame them for staying hidden?

 

[jimmyj]

Beautiful flowers. I love native wildflowers. I have to get to Texas some time to see Bluebonnets in person. How long do they bloom for?