Texas is an epic land that’s known as The Lone Star State. It’s a place that’s filled with tall tales and people who pride themselves in where they’re from. What the cowboys and ranchers didn’t manage to accomplish, the oilmen certainly did. All of them worked together to build a powerful economy that now holds three major metropolitan cities. Texas has a huge population, but an even larger area of land to its name.
Bluebonnets
The Bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas and with one look, you’ll see why. It’s a gorgeous addition to an already beautiful state landscape and paints the land in a pretty blue color in the springtime as it blooms across much of the land. Since it’s a genuine wildflower, the bluebonnet has not been regularly cultivated on a mass scale. You can recognize the bluebonnet by it’s blue color, obviously, but you’ll also note that it fades from darker blue to closer to white near the tip.
The leaves of the this flower are in the shape of a star which is fitting considering that it comes from The Lone Star State itself. During the spring months, if you drive through the Texas country sides you’ll see entire fields and hillsides covered in these vivid blue flowers. It’s a sight that’s sure to cause you to catch your breath. Each season that they appear, you’ll see Texans out collecting some for their kitchen table vases or even taking photographs it’s a particularly fruitful year.
Since bluebonnets are not a long lived flower, you’ll notice that they fade out as the seasons shift from spring to summer. Yet, while they are blooming they create an awe inspiring blanket affect over the land that they cover. It’s a typical Texas tall tale that if you pick bluebonnets you’ll go to jail. That’s not actually true, but many people have told this to visitors. The only real thing that might happen is you end up getting raised eyebrows from natives who wonder why you might want to pick them instead of simply admiring them in the wild.
Growing Bluebonnets
It’s been said that bluebonnets are very hard to grow, but it is possible if you put the work in to make it happen. While they’re hearty in their wild environment, you’ll need to plant them as seeds or transplants in early fall. This allows them to establish a root system so that they will bloom in the spring time. The bluebonnets that are grown in gardens are always annuals. They will need full sunlight in order to thrive so keep them out of the shade and make sure their soil is well drained.
