I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are
thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today
that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you
get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them
and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other
words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds?

Thanks!
Angie

In article ,
says...
I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are
thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today
that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you
get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them
and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other
words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds?

Thanks!
Angie

Wild bluebonnets are in bloom now, so possibly the potted plants may of been
ahead of schedule. After the plant has bloomed there will be a number of
small bean like pods on the plant where the seed develops. Let them be and
they will dry out and you can either harvest them yourself or let them drop
around the plants. If you collect the seeds you will need to plant around or
before August to get blooms for next year.

--
It is said that the early bird gets the worm,
but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 22:54:27 -0500, "junkyardcat"
wrote:

I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are
thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today
that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you
get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them
and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other
words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds?

Thanks!
Angie

Bluebonnets are legumes, like beans.. and peas.. the pods are like
beans, they form seeds inside, when they're ripe they crack and open
and the seeds fall out, unless you collect the seed. Don't get the
idea that they're ok to eat though, they're not.. poisonous! ;-)

Janice

I have many, many bluebonnets everywhere in my gardens. They started blooming
in March and are still blooming now. Many plants have the pods on them, as well
as a second flush of bloom. The pods need to fully dry before you harvest them
or the seeds will not ripen, or be mature enough to germinate. If you do
nothing, the pods will break open and the seeds will spray out. You just leave
the seeds on the soil or wherever they are and rains will put them where they
need to be.

The seeds usually germinate in summer and leave a rosette on the ground all
winter till spring when the cycle starts over again. The plants do look
unsightly for a good while, maybe 3 weeks or more, but when the pods are dry,
that's when you can harvest them. I leave the roots in the ground and cut the
plants off at the base. On the roots there are nodes of nitrogen. Bluebonnets
are legumes and can fix nitrogen from the air. They make their own
fertilizer...in a way.




On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 22:54:27 -0500, "junkyardcat"
opined:

I found some bluebonnet plants at Lowe's, and planted them and they are
thriving. I have never dealt with bluebonnets before, but I noticed today
that there are little pods hanging off of the plants. Are these where you
get bluebonnet seeds from? When do I harvest the seeds if I want to get them
and plant them for next year? Or do these pods turn into flowers? In other
words....what part of the bluebonnet plant has seeds?

Thanks!
Angie