Bluebonnets and what I think.

In 2010, after several really bad summers, that included bad springs and sorry bluebonnet germination in my area, the stars all lined up and decided to make up for lost time with a wonderful show last spring.
That being said; it would have been wonderful(er) IF our neighbor at the top of the hill hadn't had a water main break.  My husband was in the our yard at the bottom of the hill and suddenly was standing in 5" of water.

Now, that set up an interesting problem...... Bluebonnets are funny seeds.  They need to lay around most of the time, even for several years and get "roughed" a bit.  Seems, they need the outer shell of the seed weakened to absorb moisture.  A lot of things come into play.  I even think birds that have crops,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well, you get the idea.

So, the spring after the flood, I noticed piles of swollen bluebonnet seeds along the garden area next to the house.  Sure enough, hundreds of seeds were floated down hill and stopped there.  The ones that passed by the house, floated to the level area on the north side of the house.

OK, now, when bluebonnets get wet, get tossed around and have freezing weather.... I noticed (not in time) that those suckers were germinating overnight!!!!  I didn't get most of them separated and scattered in time and I then had a mat of seedlings.  The seedling root is very tender and doesn't like to be disturbed.

This is what happens when seeds pile up.  Most will be lost because they are too close

I chose to pull a lot of them as a sacrifice to the greater good.  Then, just waited until the little seedlings established themselves in the ground and then carefully dug out what I could and transplanted in other areas as well as pots. This was relatively successful but not so great when they reached full size and started blooming.
Oh, don't get me wrong, the color of bluebonnets is one of natures miracles.  The problem was, they were too crowded, grass was too aggressive and grew too tall and made the bluebonnets leggy.

Over all, it was beautiful in spots and annoying in other places .

This patch is a result of the "flood". Not quite what I had planned for this area.
Sometimes, you go with nature's choice.

The rose is a  Knockout species.  They are nearly indestructible.

This bed was full of Bluebonnets that weren't scattered by the flood

 2004 /April

2004 color

This picture is so special to me in that both my sisters and their husbands came to visit in 2004 because I said this was "THE YEAR". I wasn't really that positive, but as it turned out, God said YES IT WAS!!!  It was one of the most enjoyable springs in my memory.

In years past, this whole area was a sea of bluebonnet color.



My camera does not do justice to the fantastic color that filled the area.  This picture was the last year of bluebonnet color in this area.  The heat set in and things changed. I saw plants that were only one inch high with a tiny blue flower on it.  When it is time, regardless of weather, bluebonnets have to bloom. It was so sad.



This was the turning point in my garden experience.  I "took charge" of nature, soil, rain, physical ailments and back breaking work.

This is what the area looks like now.

Given another year or so, the bluebonnets are still with us. The seeds may lay around for years before they are ready to bloom and offer surprises in the most inappropriate places.

This is what makes gardening an enjoyable time, regardless of failures.  Nature doesn't make mistakes, just "happy accidents".


                                                                                                                                                                               

This little plant has come up in the gravel path that covers the whole garden area.  Unfortunately, there is an underlayment that makes it impossible to dig up and transplant.