I've been too busy (and too neglectful of my garden) to read this
newsgroup lately, but I wanted to say that of all things, I have a
bluebonnet blooming! This is from a seed I planted last fall. I hope
that next year it will be on a regular schedule. (And there will be
more of them.)

Karen

Hi Karen,
I had a bluebonnet surprise me this spring. It was blooming up to a couple
of weeks ago. The surprise was that I hadn't had bluebonnets in that
location for several years.

According to the landscape doods at work, bluebonnets seed can lay dormant
for quite a while before germinating. This must have been there for about 6
years. Last fall I did some soil disturbing activity where this thing popped
up.

"Karen" wrote in message
.190...
I've been too busy (and too neglectful of my garden) to read this
newsgroup lately, but I wanted to say that of all things, I have a
bluebonnet blooming! This is from a seed I planted last fall. I hope
that next year it will be on a regular schedule. (And there will be
more of them.)

Karen

This is a good time to put out the bluebonnet seeds. I seed wildflowers when
they naturally drop seed. Bluebonnets are already germinating and forming
rosettes for next year. I also was able to harvest about two pounds of seed,
which, right before the next planned rain will be spread out back in the
gardens.

I could never get Indian paintbrush to get going, so I bought plants at The
Natural Gardener last spring and planted them. Maybe now they'll reseed and
I'll see those interspersed with the L.texensis.

I also planted seeds for prickly poppy (still blooming) galliardia, Mexican
hats, coreopsis and grasses. I wasn't aware that Indian painbrush was or is a
parasitic plant. That's why it does so well with bluebonnets. The nodules of
nitrogen found on the bluebonnets supply the Indian paintbrush with needed
nitrogen. They are parasitic and sometimes come in 4 inch post with what looks
like weeds, but they are put there by the growers to supply what they need to
flourish. In the catalog, they say not to remove the grassy looking weeds when
planting.

yours sound great,
Victoria


On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 15:36:46 GMT, Karen wrote:

I've been too busy (and too neglectful of my garden) to read this
newsgroup lately, but I wanted to say that of all things, I have a
bluebonnet blooming! This is from a seed I planted last fall. I hope
that next year it will be on a regular schedule. (And there will be
more of them.)

Karen

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 01:07:32 GMT, Karen wrote:

I was planning to buy bluebonnet plants in the fall, but now I
guess I don't have to. I want a whole patch, but I guess it will
come.


Actually, I started with plants. I planted them in late winter, about 4 flats
worth.

In fact, it will probably go to see after I leave town, so I'll
have to trust nature to do its thing.

Karen

The seed pop open and throw their seed. I actually heard them so I immediately
went into the patch and started removing the brown, ripened seed. I sat for
hours shucking them. I was so happy!

animaux wrote in
:
The seed pop open and throw their seed. I actually heard them
so I immediately went into the patch and started removing the
brown, ripened seed. I sat for hours shucking them. I was so
happy!

This sounds very cool. I hope I get to see this!

Karen

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 00:56:16 GMT, Karen wrote:

animaux wrote in
:
The seed pop open and throw their seed. I actually heard them
so I immediately went into the patch and started removing the
brown, ripened seed. I sat for hours shucking them. I was so
happy!

This sounds very cool. I hope I get to see this!

Karen

As unsightly as they are, just leave them and you will see itl

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 01:07:32 GMT, Karen
wrote:

animaux wrote in
:
I also
was able to harvest about two pounds of seed, which, right
before the next planned rain will be spread out back in the
gardens.

JEEZE!!! That is one heck of a lot of seed.

I could never get Indian paintbrush to get going, so I bought
plants at The Natural Gardener last spring and planted them.
Maybe now they'll reseed and I'll see those interspersed with
the L.texensis.

I was planning to buy bluebonnet plants in the fall, but now I
guess I don't have to. I want a whole patch, but I guess it will
come.

Just be ready to wait a decade or two. :-) Bluebonnet seed may lay in
the ground years before germinating. An established patch of
bluebonnets has a large bank of seeds in the soil put down over many
years and generations.

If you want to speed things up a bit, Wildseed Farms sells scarified
(faster germinating) bluebonnet seed. If planted these as late as
early November with good result.

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 22:27:45 GMT, (Terry Horton) wrote:


Just be ready to wait a decade or two. :-) Bluebonnet seed may lay in
the ground years before germinating. An established patch of
bluebonnets has a large bank of seeds in the soil put down over many
years and generations.

If you want to speed things up a bit, Wildseed Farms sells scarified
(faster germinating) bluebonnet seed. If planted these as late as
early November with good result.

I don't know about a decade, but I will say I planted about three 48 cell flats
of plants and the seeds have already germinated from this years' burst. I do
know that Indian paintbrush is a parasitic plant and needs certain types of
prairie grasses to be available in order to flourish. In my case, they
bluebonnets fix nitrogen and store it in the root nodes. The paintbrush plants
take a while.

On the scarification of bluebonnet seeds; the reason I plant them out now is to
benefit them and put them in the way of the scarification process. The heat,
drought, and that ongoing cycle in this region serves as the scarification
process. I suppose I also have to stress that while my soil is native and not
subsoil, I have added plenty of compost. In particular, I've added Revitilizer
which is sold at The Natural Gardener. It has both fungal and bacterial
properties and organisms which help the soil which helps plants and seeds to
germinate.

In the fall, they sell bluebonnets by the flat and I strongly recommend anyone
who has trouble getting them going, en masse, should start out with plants and
nature will take its course.

Victoria

animaux wrote in
:
I also
was able to harvest about two pounds of seed, which, right
before the next planned rain will be spread out back in the
gardens.

JEEZE!!! That is one heck of a lot of seed.

I could never get Indian paintbrush to get going, so I bought
plants at The Natural Gardener last spring and planted them.
Maybe now they'll reseed and I'll see those interspersed with
the L.texensis.

I was planning to buy bluebonnet plants in the fall, but now I
guess I don't have to. I want a whole patch, but I guess it will
come.

I wasn't
aware that Indian painbrush was or is a parasitic plant. That's
why it does so well with bluebonnets. The nodules of nitrogen
found on the bluebonnets supply the Indian paintbrush with
needed nitrogen. They are parasitic and sometimes come in 4
inch post with what looks like weeds, but they are put there by
the growers to supply what they need to flourish. In the
catalog, they say not to remove the grassy looking weeds when
planting.

Cool. I had no idea--but then, I didn't even see an Indian
paintbrush till this year.

yours sound great,
Victoria

It's a beginning, but it's ONE plant. And will hardly give two
pounds of seed.

In fact, it will probably go to see after I leave town, so I'll
have to trust nature to do its thing.

Karen

I have a pretty little crop of Bluebonnets going now in a window box in Anchorage, AK, but I am wondering if there is any way to speed up the process to harvest the seeds, or if they will ever become viable if separated prematurely from the plant. (We only have about 6-8 more weeks before the light will begin to fail and the evenings get too cold.) Does anyone know how long it takes for the seeds to ripen and "pop" once the little fuzzy beans appear?

One year I tried to keep the plants going by bringing them in and putting them under a grow light, but they wasted and died almost instantaneously.

ANybody have any suggestions? I suppose I can just keep planting bought seeds every year, but I'd love to make them self-sustaining.

Thanks!

Like most peas, the seeds have to be fully ripened and the pod completely dry on
the plant.


On Thu, 7 Aug 2003 20:50:53 +0200, Igloo wrote:


I have a pretty little crop of Bluebonnets going now in a window box in
Anchorage, AK, but I am wondering if there is any way to speed up the
process to harvest the seeds, or if they will ever become viable if
separated prematurely from the plant. (We only have about 6-8 more
weeks before the light will begin to fail and the evenings get too
cold.) Does anyone know how long it takes for the seeds to ripen and
"pop" once the little fuzzy beans appear?

One year I tried to keep the plants going by bringing them in and
putting them under a grow light, but they wasted and died almost
instantaneously.

ANybody have any suggestions? I suppose I can just keep planting bought
seeds every year, but I'd love to make them self-sustaining.

Thanks!

I lived in Nikiski for six years. The bluebonnets will do well in Alaska.
Just give it time and patience.

Starlia
"Igloo" wrote in message
...

I have a pretty little crop of Bluebonnets going now in a window box in
Anchorage, AK, but I am wondering if there is any way to speed up the
process to harvest the seeds, or if they will ever become viable if
separated prematurely from the plant. (We only have about 6-8 more
weeks before the light will begin to fail and the evenings get too
cold.) Does anyone know how long it takes for the seeds to ripen and
"pop" once the little fuzzy beans appear?

One year I tried to keep the plants going by bringing them in and
putting them under a grow light, but they wasted and died almost
instantaneously.

ANybody have any suggestions? I suppose I can just keep planting bought
seeds every year, but I'd love to make them self-sustaining.

Thanks!


--
Igloo
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Thanks for the feedback! I was afraid that ripening the pods on the plant was probably necessary!

Saucy, were your plants ever self-seeding? I have been starting mine in planter boxes inside, but I would love to give them a plot of ground outside if they'd claim it and come back every year!

Not only do they come back from seed when allowed to thoroughly dry on the
plant, but they come back bigger and more of them. I started with plants.
Every year my stand of bluebonnets increases and I do nothing. Matter of fact,
my bluebonnets are already germinating and starting to form their winter
rosette.

V


On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 19:49:20 +0200, Igloo
wrote:


Thanks for the feedback! I was afraid that ripening the pods on the
plant was probably necessary!

Saucy, were your plants ever self-seeding? I have been starting mine in
planter boxes inside, but I would love to give them a plot of ground
outside if they'd claim it and come back every year!

Animaux is correct. You can start with the seedlings in AK and they will
come back with a vengeance next year. It's a great thing to watch.

Starlia
"animaux" wrote in message
...
Not only do they come back from seed when allowed to thoroughly dry on the
plant, but they come back bigger and more of them. I started with plants.
Every year my stand of bluebonnets increases and I do nothing. Matter of
fact,
my bluebonnets are already germinating and starting to form their winter
rosette.

V


On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 19:49:20 +0200, Igloo
wrote:


Thanks for the feedback! I was afraid that ripening the pods on the
plant was probably necessary!

Saucy, were your plants ever self-seeding? I have been starting mine in
planter boxes inside, but I would love to give them a plot of ground
outside if they'd claim it and come back every year!