Native Plants

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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.

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Thursday - November 05, 2009

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Planting fields with wildflowers
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I'm hoping to seed a few fields (large area, short grass) the easiest way possible. I'd love to do bluebonnets but I don't think I can get a large aerator to the locations. Basically I'm wondering what would be the biggest bang for my buck in terms of ease of planting and flower density (with preference for the classics like paintbrushes, and for something I could seed this season if not too late). Thanks!

ANSWER:

Let me start by referring you to three articles on our How To Articles page; in the section titled Large Scale Wildflower Planting, the three articles are Getting Started, Meadow Gardening,and Recreating a Prairie. Scrolling down the How To page, you'll find the All About Bluebonnets section which has three article about planting blubonnets. There isn't any mention of needing an aerator in any of these articles.

One of our supplier associates, Native American Seed in Junction, Texas has a number of seed mixes for wildflowers and native grasses. They also have a helpful article, Planting Tips for Native Grasses.