Tried several times over the years to get BB to start, didn't realize how sensitive they can be, but finally looks like I will get some started. Also put out some Indian Paintbrush and those have done pretty good as well in the small area I planted.

Seems like late summer and watering the seed in every day, to every other day, did the trick. They need a certain bacteria in the dirt to grow well, so I only put out about a 15'x30' spot, looks like I will get about 40% survival right now.

I figured they were easy to grow since you see them all over the highways.

My subdivision has a patch of wildflower they don't mow and I see bluebonnets already coming up.

You need to put seed out in the fall.

we've tried many times over the years without success planting seeds. We actually had one random plant pop up in an area we have never tried because of minimal soil in that area. I was like WTH? We dug up several plants from our daughter's ranch earlier this year, planted them in the same area and they seem to be doing very well so far. Hopefully they will repeat from there.

Daughter tried seeding a plot with them, never even came up - sandy clay soil. Special bacteria needed?

Yeah, they are hard to grow. But, if the soil is the right or whatever for them, they will take hold and come back every year. I tried for years planting them all over, and never had any success. Finally, two years ago, they came up by our front gate at the ranch. They are back again this year. I'll have to post a pic when I go back down Easter weekend.

I figure that in nature they seed out around end of May/early June, and naturally drop their seeds. So, that's what I did. I spread seed around where I wanted them to grow in Late May/early June. I'll harvest a couple seed pods and spread them out again this year, just as I did last year to try and help them spread. The rest of the seed pods I leave as they are to let nature take it's course.

I’ve got them thick all over my ranch. Rocky, sandy, clay, dark loamy, soil doesn't seem to matter to it. Western and Southwestern slopes seem to be the most prevalent places it grows. Full sun is needed. Any shade and it likely won’t grow.

They are a legume, so yes. I'd bet there is sufficient bacteria most place tho since they have been growing in Texas for a long time.

"Texas bluebonnet wildflowers require five things to grow. Alkaline soil, rhizobium bacteria, water, sunshine, and seed are the five things you need to grow Texas bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis)"

https://www.botanicbleu.com/2019/05/how-to-grow-texas-bluebonnets.html

Great photos Trapper!, the second one is what I'm shooting for. We also had patches of them back when we had acreage, seemed they liked the rocky, crappy dirt near the county road and our fence line.

I wouldn't water them unless it gets really dry, too much moisture will rot the seed.

They are also in those areas a lot because those aren’t areas that get shredded much if at all. They need to be able to get to seed first before being cut.

it's one word

I don’t cut for hay so they get to repeat the process every year.

Yes sir, that is awesome and my bees like them

Our soil here sucks and really high Ph. The Bonnets love it.

This is my favorite Spring flower.

I learned a long time ago that it is easier to drive to Fredricksburg to look at the wildflowers than try to grow them - I never had any luck

I have a few in my yard in Goldthwaite

The biggest thing is not mowing them once they are established. You have to wait till they have gone to seed and released seeds before mowing. This is typically July 4th week in North Texas. While the patches look amazing through May. They will look pretty lousy and over grown in June and you have to resist the urge to cut them or they won’t come back.

We used to get sacks of seed from the soil conservation office in the 70's if we wanted to rest a field for a season. The seeds need a time of below freezing to bloom so we'd drill the seeds in in late September/early October. After they bloomed we'd let people admire them for a while then shred and plow them under before they went to seed. Really good for the soil.

I like looking at them but have no desire to have them growing on my place. Guess im a commie.

They drop seeds in June. That is when I would plant them. Grow like weeds in my yard. I started years ago with 12 plants. They seem to move around. I had them growing in my ditch but the city uses a fire hydrant 2 houses above me to flush water lines pushing them out of the ditch. Mine are just starting to bloom. I went from just having them in my ditch to 3 or 4 patches. Seeds are pretty easy to gather. Just break the pods off and put them in a can in the sun. The dove hit the seeds hard when they start dropping. I gave my daughter a bunch of seeds 2 years ago. First pic is her patch one year later.

Some of you guys have it going on!!

The wife and I went out to take a "survey" yesterday evening before the rains moved in. We found quite a few on the edge of blooming. I go out with the dog this am and every single one, had been browsed off by deer. P m Off, so may go ahead and put up an electric fence, been needing to since the deer are hell on my fruit tress as well.

They need planted the year before and in the "wrong" time of year ... Summer.

If they are in a pasture you must not mow that area once the plants start coming up the next year. And as stated, mow them only once they go to seed.

Get used to an ugly un-mowed patch of pasture.

They need the most water in February and March. Too much or not enough in the winter and they won't come up the next spring.

Took my Dad more than a decade to get his to come up well. He has paintbrushes too.

Way too much work for "wild flowers" in my opinion.