Learn in detail How to Grow Texas State Flower with expert tips for planting Bluebonnets in your home gardens.
The bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is the official Texas state flower. It is a stunning and colorful wildflower with a special place in Texas history and culture.
In the past, on March 7, 1901, Texas selected Lupinus subcarnosus as its state flower. However, many Texans preferred Lupinus texensis because of its beauty. So, in 1971, the Texas Legislature decided that any similar type of Lupinus found in Texas would be considered the state flower.
Bluebonnets are beautiful and vibrant wildflowers. The most common species is Lupinus texensis. They have stunning blue petals arranged in a distinct shape that resembles a bonnet, which gives them their name. The petals sometimes have white tips, adding to their charm. These flowers bloom during the spring, usually from March to May.
They usually bloom in Texas from the middle of March to the middle of April. But it can change a bit depending on the weather and where you are in Texas. When they bloom, the fields get covered in bluebonnets, which look incredibly beautiful. People living there and those who come to visit are amazed by this sight.
How and When to Grow Texas State Flower
The Texas Bluebonnet is a favorite wildflower and the official flower of Texas. You can even grow it in gardens outside of Texas. It’s easy to grow from seeds and can survive in zones 4 to 8, which means it can handle various climates.
If you are using transplants to grow Texas State Flower, plant them in early spring, and they will bloom in April or early May. If starting from seeds, sow the treated seeds between August and mid-November, depending on your climate.
Cooler regions should plant earlier to allow time for germination before it gets too cold. Scatter 8 to 10 seeds per square foot, rake them in gently and keep the area damp. The seeds will sprout within 7 to 30 days at temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees.
How to Propagate Bluebonnet
From Seeds
- Texas bluebonnets can be grown from seeds, but the seeds have a hard coat that reduces the germination rate (around 20 percent).
- Buy Bluebonnets seeds from nurseries or buy seeds online.
- Seed scarification is performed by nicking the seed coat to aid germination.
- Cold stratify seeds by refrigerating them in a moistened medium for 4-6 weeks.
- Choose a sunny location with well-draining soil for planting.
- Sprinkle seeds evenly on the soil surface and press gently into the soil.
- Water the planted seeds gently, keeping the soil moist until germination.
- Thin seedlings, if needed, to provide sufficient space for growth.
- Optionally transplant seedlings to desirable locations with care.
Care for young plants with regular watering until they are established.
Enjoy the beautiful blue blooms when the plants flower in early spring.
TIP: If you’re planting seeds directly in the garden, place eight to ten seeds in each square foot.
Natural Re-Seeding
If you have bluebonnets in your garden or around, they can plant themselves for the next years. Let the seed pods on the plant dry completely. When they are dry, the pods will open and drop seeds on the ground. Later, these seeds will grow into new bluebonnet plants when the time is right.
Transplanting Seedlings
If you have young Bluebonnet seedlings that have sprouted close together, you can carefully transplant them to different locations in your garden. Allow the seedlings to establish a strong root system before moving them, and be gentle to avoid damaging the delicate roots. You can also purchase transplants from nurseries and grow them in your garden as directed by the nursery.
Growing Texas State Flower in Pots
For growing Bluebonnets in containers, choose a 3- to 5-gallon pot with good drainage holes. Fill the container with well-draining potting soil and plant young transplants or plants in it, leaving 10 inches of space between them. Unlike bluebonnets in the ground, container plants need regular watering to stay healthy.
Types of Texas Bluebonnet
Lupinus concinnus
The smallest bluebonnet, Lupinus concinnus, grows to only 2-7 inches tall. It has unique flowers in a mix of white, purple, and lavender colors.
Lupinus plattensis
This is the only perennial species and is found in the sandy dunes of the Texas Panhandle. It’s known as the dune bluebonnet or the plains bluebonnet. It blooms in mid to late spring and grows up to about two feet tall.
Lupinus havardii
Lupinus havardii is a bigger bluebonnet with flower spikes that can reach up to three feet tall. It is difficult to grow outside its natural habitat.
Lupinus subcarnosus
It’s often called the sandy land bluebonnet. The plant has blunt leaflets, sometimes with notches, and silky undersides. It blooms best in late March but is challenging to grow in clay soils.
Ideal Growing Conditions for Bluebonnet
Location
Texas State Flower prefers sunny spots with eight to ten hours of sun daily. It can handle some shade, but it will not produce as many blooms. So, it does best in full sunlight.
Soil
Texas Bluebonnets can grow well in various soil types, like sandy, loamy, clay, or chalk, as long as the soil drains well. They prefer slightly alkaline soil.
These plants belong to the Fabaceae family, which is familiar because its members can use Rhizobium bacteria in nodules on their roots to change air nitrogen into a useful form for plants to grow. This helps them thrive in poor soils where other plants may not do well.
Water
The most important time to water Texas bluebonnets is when you plant the seeds. Keep the soil moist but not too wet until the seeds sprout. After that, wait until the top inch of soil dries before watering the established plants. Don’t let the ground stay wet all the time.
Temperature and Humidity
Texas bluebonnets need warm temperatures in the fall to help their seeds sprout and cooler temperatures in the winter to develop strong roots for beautiful spring blooms. They can handle high humidity in the summer, but the visible parts of the plants die back during this time. Texas bluebonnets do well in USDA hardiness zones 4-8.
Texas Bluebonnets Care
Fertilizer
Texas bluebonnets are wildflowers; they don’t need extra fertilizer. If you add a nitrogen-rich commercial fertilizer, it may actually reduce the number of blooms because the leaves will take up most of the nutrients. So, it’s best not to fertilize them.
Texas State Flower is a special plant called legume with roots working with a bacterium in the soil called Rhizobium. This bacterium helps the plant grow better and has more flowers. Rhizobium changes the air’s nitrogen into a form the plant can use. When the bluebonnet plants are settled in, they have nodules on their roots that contain the helpful bacteria.
Pruning
After the Texas bluebonnet flowers are done blooming, don’t remove the spent flowers. Let them form seeds instead. If you have bluebonnets in a larger area, you can mow them to a height of 4 to 6 inches once the seeds have formed and the foliage turns brown. Mowing helps control weeds and grasses and also spreads the bluebonnet seeds.
Repotting
Texas State Flower is annual and won’t get too big for the container as it grows. So, you won’t need to repot them during their life cycle.
Overwintering
Once you plant the bluebonnet seeds or seedlings in the fall, you need to leave them during the winter. Bluebonnets make low, flat rosettes that are a few inches tall and can spread up to 12 inches. This is normal for them, and they won’t grow much until spring when the flower stalks appear. After the first freeze, the lower leaves might turn red. Underneath the rosette of leaves, the plant grows many roots.
Pests and Diseases
The Texas State Flower can be damaged by common insect pests like pillbugs and sowbugs, which come out at night and eat the plants. To protect the seedlings and young plants, you can take a few steps to keep these pests away.
To protect the young Texas State Flower plants, ensure the soil is not too wet and remove any extra mulch.
If needed, you can use pillbug bait around the new plants during the first month after planting to keep these pests away. Also, watch out for a fungal disease called damping off that can cause seedling stems to rot. To avoid this, don’t plant in beds where this issue has happened before.
Young plants (transplants) should be used instead of planting seeds directly into the bed. And be cautious not to overwater the plants.
How to Get Texas Bluebonnets to Bloom
Bluebonnets bloom most when planted in full sun. Don’t water or fertilize them too much. If you start planting the seeds or seedlings in spring instead of the previous fall, they may not bloom at all or have fewer flowers. The timing of planting is crucial for a beautiful bloom.