I recv'd bluebonnet and poppy seeds in my stocking. Can I still plant them? Wait until "spring" - when is it officially "spring" in Texas - now? haha Should I try to winter sow them?
Thank you for any advice!
I got bluebonnet and poppy seeds for Christmas....what to do
Those need to be sown ASAP. My TX gardening books say direct sow in the fall-winter but you should be fine if you sow them now they need the freeze thaw cycle to germinate. Make sure you surface sow the poppies but the BB can be raked under 1/8 of an inch. Hope that helps.
Lisa
Once you plant them, you'll have to keep watering from time to time because of the drought. That will give them a good chance. Although...I checked at the front of my property lately...and it was like a miracle, bluebonnets had come up in spite of no watering and barely any precipitation. But bluebonnets have been growing there for many years. It's a bit harder to establish new colonies of bluebonnets.
My bluebonnets have been up for a while. Some have 3 inch or more rosettes already. Some are only an inch wide due to lack of rain. I am now watering the area frequently. Some bluebonnet seeds do not sprout for 2 or 3 years so do not expect all of the seeds to germinate. Blue bonnet seeds should be scarified (outside coating of seed scruffed off). If the seed packet does not state that the seed has been scarified, the germination process can take a long time. Ideally, the seeds should be planted in September or October to allow enough time for the the seed to receive lots of chill time and the roots to develop. The long taproot on my plants are at least 6 inches long right now (I just moved some) even though the plants are still small. At this time of year, I add in some transplants I buy at my favorite nursery. The transplants need to be set in soil now if the plants are going to be strong and produce a good bloom production later on. You can plant the seeds now and if only a few germinate, don't be disappointed. Quite a few will be probably come up next year.
Here is a link with some great information.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/flowers/bluebonnet/bluebonnetstory.html
Thank you for all of the wonderful advice!
I've success with Bluebonnet seed sowing in my zone in the past. I'd love to try that again. They're one of my fav. flowers.
Bluebonnets are a natural weed killer/preventer. You hardly see any weeds within a good patch or field of bluebonnets! Ever notice that sunflowers have a similar ability to keep the competition at bay. Yet BB allow other wildflowers to sprout and grow in time for late spring blooming after they've strutted their stuff in early spring.
Seedlings are best produced if seeds are scarified and spread in early fall.
Chuck