I rough up the soil, put the seeds down, sprinkle it all with some compost to
cover and water. I keep it moist till I see germination. Bluebonnets lay
dormant on the soil in a flat rosette all winter. I planted plants last year
and I have bluebonnets coming up everywhere now.

On 16 Oct 2002 22:54:22 -0700, (Jeff) wrote:

Hello,

Seems like everyone recommends planting wildflower seeds in the fall,
so I thought I'd give it a try this year.

Being new to this, I thought I'd ask to see what kind of success
everyone has had. For example - do the young plants really survive
the winter? Do they really get a better head start than if they were
planted in the spring? Am I better off starting them off indoors?

In case it matters, I've got the following seeds:

Texas Bluebonnet
Prairie Larkspur
Tahoka Daisy
Mealy Blue Sage
Cutleaf Daisy

If anyone has experience with this, let me know - thanks!

Keep it moist till seeds germinate. This weekend it's going to rain so you're
in luck. I just removed all the stinking sod from the parkway between the
street and sidewalk. I did that today and I seeded with bluebonnets. I have
three cedar elms to plant there, too. That grass out there is such an
incredible waste of time and money.

V

On Fri, 18 Oct 2002 16:51:32 GMT, Whit wrote:

That's what I spread all over my front lawn. I shaved it, raked it, then
shaved it again with a weed-eater, then roughed it up with a rake and
threw out a bunch of seeds. From Wildseed farms, purchased at Great
Outdoors on S. Congress. Fingers are crossed.


gruber wrote:

wildseedfarm.com in Fredricksburg has most of the ones on Victoria's list,
as well as a Texas/Oklahoma mix with a couple dozen different seeds suited
to the area.

On 16 Oct 2002 22:54:22 -0700, (Jeff) wrote:

Hello,

Seems like everyone recommends planting wildflower seeds in the fall,
so I thought I'd give it a try this year.

Being new to this, I thought I'd ask to see what kind of success
everyone has had. For example - do the young plants really survive
the winter? Do they really get a better head start than if they were
planted in the spring? Am I better off starting them off indoors?

Many *require* fall germination in order to bloom vigorously in the
spring. These will go into semi-dormancy during cold and/or dry
periods and ramp up their growth when the weather turns mild.

Spring-germinating species overwinter in the wild, and so do perfectly
well when planted in the fall too.

As far as indoor germination, I'd save it for rare seeds, large
wildlfowers you want to treat as shrubs (Mexican bush sage for ex.),
and if you get a late start with a fall-germinating species.

In case it matters, I've got the following seeds:

Texas Bluebonnet
Prairie Larkspur
Tahoka Daisy
Mealy Blue Sage
Cutleaf Daisy

If anyone has experience with this, let me know - thanks!

First, scalp the area as low as possible, ideally with a string
trimmer, to reduce competition from grasses. Loosen the soil surface
with a metal rake. Pay attention to planting depth.. some wildflowers
like paintbrush must be sown at the surface. Cover your seeds with
soil to the recommended depth (I prefer the Natural Gardener's Hill
Country mix). Keep the ground moist until seeds like bluebonnet form
their first set of true leaves. After that water deeply only if the
soil is dry 3-4" down, keeping in mind that these tender-looking
plants are geared to survive our Texas winters without sprinkler
systems.

Have fun and good luck!

On Fri, 18 Oct 2002 00:24:54 GMT, Serial # 19781010
wrote:

Where is the best place to get a variety of seeds?

Late blooming examples are gayfeather, goldenrod, snow-on-the-prairie.
And native grasses.. gulf muhly flowers look like pink-purple fog
right now.

For seeds, Native American Seed www.seedsource.com, the same folks who
sell seeds at the Wildflower Center Fall Festival. One exception is
scarified bluebonnet seeds from Wildseed Farms, which have a higher
first year germination rate.

Unfortunately for other than bluebonnets I can't wholeheartedly
recommend WIldseed Farms. Too many non-natives sold using the same
common name as Texas native wildflowers. Wish more local nurseries
would call them on the practice.