Texas Bluebonnet Time

It has been a wonderful season for bluebonnets this year.  I know the spring rains that we have had played a big part in making this year so beautiful.  I live right outside of Houston so really it is not too far for me to go to see the bluebonnets in the hill country.  But at my house you don't have to go far at all.  I planted bluebonnet seed in the garden right after we put the soil in (our backyard was nothing but builders sand when we moved in). And every year since then we have more and more bluebonnets that spread and pour into the lawn and garden pathways.  I love going outside and looking at a sea of blue and pink and maroon bonnets.  Yes, I said pink and maroon bonnets.  They are not as prolific as the blue ones but they still come back every year.  One year I decided to add some Aggie bonnets, which are maroon for Texas A&M University. They were actually developed by A&M.  I was told that they would cross pollinate with the bluebonnets but I didn't care.  As the next year rolled around I had a few maroons bonnets and a few pink ones mixed in with a bunch of blue ones. They are really a sight to see.  I love springtime at my house.  I end up spending more time outside than I do inside.  (The house doesn't get a good spring cleaning where I live, but the yard does.)
So here is how you grow them if you would like to add them to your garden.  The variety that I have is Lupinus texensis. These plants are Texas natives, which I love. They bloom from March-May.  Although at my house they tend to bloom early but they finish early also.   It loves prairie, pastures, hillsides and slopes to call home.  It doesn't require much water to survive.  I do notice that when I don't splash it down with the water hose from time to time that it will get spider mites.
I don't use any chemicals on it since bees love bluebonnets.  It is also the larval host plant to the Elfin butterfly and the Hairstreak butterfly.  The bluebonnets are susceptible to herbicides. So please don't spray anything on them or near them. If you do spray them, then that chemical can affect any of the bees and butterflies that drink its nectar. Please be careful.
You can add plants directly to your garden or you can easily sprinkle the seeds in the fall.  What I do is every year after the plant has finished flowering I wait for the plant to die.  The seed will mature on the dying plant and then when they are ready to come out of their pods they pop out and go flying to their new location. Yes the plant is ugly and doesn't look pretty at all but I will never have to buy more plants or seeds at the store again.  It is that easy.  Bluebonnets are a great wildflower to have in the garden.  Every year I truly enjoy going out and watching the bees and butterflies hovering around the fragrant flowers.  It is an awesome sight to see.