Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_43.gif)
Saturday - January 24, 2009
From: New Braunfels , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Will wildflowers planted in late December bloom this year?
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a home near Canyon Lake and seeded wildflowers on the property in late December. I have since read that the ideal time to seed them is before December 1st. Do they have a chance to bloom this Spring?ANSWER:
That depends entirely on conditions you can't control. Wildflower seeds usually need some period of cold stratification, which is provided by normal weather conditions, in order to sprout. Germination also involves rainfall (you remember rain, don't you?). In Central Texas, we generally have the best rains in Fall, so if we had any rain this past Fall, your seeds missed it. On the bright side, wildflowers have been existing for millions of years entirely without our intervention and in all kinds of weather cycles. Some of them may very well manage to emerge and bloom. The urge to reproduce, which is visible in blooming to produce seeds, is dominant in all living species, so those wildflowers are going to be trying. In the second place, the ones that do bloom and set seed will result in more plants next year, and other seeds will be dormant in the soil until the right conditions appear. And you can always plant more seed next October or November, and by the following Spring (weather permitting) have a wonderful stand of flowers.More Wildflowers Questions
Bluebonnets in pots in New Caney, TX
April 25, 2009 - My mother in New Caney (Texas), would like to plant Bluebonnets in some lovely terra cotta containers on her porch (and will hopefully mail me some dried pressings of my beloved state flower). Other t...
view the full question and answer
Wildflower seeds to be sown on roadway for wedding
September 16, 2005 - My daughter is planning an outdoor wedding reception at a ranch in
Granbury, Texas, on April 29, 2006. We would like to sow wildflower seeds
along the roadway leading to the ranch. What flowers woul...
view the full question and answer
More on bluebonnets
March 23, 2005 - When (month and week) do you think the "peak of bluebonnet blooming" will be this year in the Austin, Fredericksbug, and Llano, Texas area?
view the full question and answer
Best place for picking wildflowers in Austin
February 14, 2014 - Where is the best place to find wildflowers for picking near or in Austin around the end of March?
view the full question and answer
Possibility of Oenothera flava growing in Michigan
June 16, 2006 - Oenothera flava (A. Nels) Garrett, is it true that this plant is not in Michigan? Is it rare or something? Because I had a hard time trying to find out what it was.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |