Is it ok to plant Bluebonnets in a yard?

[Ruffnit]

I'd like to plant bluebonnets between the sidewalk and the street. The area gets full sun, and is well drained.

Someone told my husband that Bluebonnets will kill the grass. I haven't been able to determine if that is true. Does anyone know?

If Bluebonnets won't kill the grass, when should I plant seed? In April (when the plants go to seed) or in the fall?

If bluebonnets don't kill grass, I'm considering buying plants for this spring.

Thanks for any insights you can give me.

[sandih]

First of all, you probably have seen the bluebonnets on the side of the roads in Texas....in the grass.... so the answer is "no" that do not kill grass.

Secondly, the time to plant seeds is November I believe. If you want to plant actual plants this time around, you can, and they will go to seed. The seeds may take a season or 2 to germinate so you have to be very patient. Also, they start dying off when it gets really warm. You won't be able to mow the grass for a while after they start dying because you'll want them to go to seed. Also be careful of what you put on the grass, because certain organic and non-organic will prevent seeds from germinating.

Go to the Native Seed website to read more about a better way to prepare an area for wildflower seeds.

[nativedave]

Best time to disperse Bluebonnet seed is mid-September through mid-October. They will germinate and create a sort-of groundcover during winter. Then, in mid-spring, the blooms will emerge. When they go to seed you might want to disperse another 'round' of seed, but don't expect them to germinate for several months. When we do prairie/meadow restoration we plan to disperse seed each fall for the first three years. After that period you should have plenty of plants doing the dispersing for you.

The Bluebonnet (and other Lupines) role is commonly misunderstood. When Lupines were first documented they were referred to as Wolf-flowers because it was thought they robbed soil of nutrients. Just like our Bluebonnet, which is a Lupine, the European species were found in soil depleted of nutrients and generally "bad conditions." But the Lupine's job is to inject nutrients, so it goes where it's needed. Various species of Lupines are being used around the world to restore nutrients to overused farmland. See Iceland's project with Lupinus nootkatensis.

So, no, the Bluebonnet won't deplete your soil, either. If anything it will only enrich it with nutrients and beauty!