Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Thursday - November 05, 2009
From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Planting fields with wildflowers
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I'm hoping to seed a few fields (large area, short grass) the easiest way possible. I'd love to do bluebonnets but I don't think I can get a large aerator to the locations. Basically I'm wondering what would be the biggest bang for my buck in terms of ease of planting and flower density (with preference for the classics like paintbrushes, and for something I could seed this season if not too late). Thanks!ANSWER:
Let me start by referring you to three articles on our How To Articles page; in the section titled Large Scale Wildflower Planting, the three articles are Getting Started, Meadow Gardening,and Recreating a Prairie. Scrolling down the How To page, you'll find the All About Bluebonnets section which has three article about planting blubonnets. There isn't any mention of needing an aerator in any of these articles.
One of our supplier associates, Native American Seed in Junction, Texas has a number of seed mixes for wildflowers and native grasses. They also have a helpful article, Planting Tips for Native Grasses.
If you plan to have bluebonnets for the spring, you need to get the seeds planted very soon.More Wildflowers Questions
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Need suggestions for plants for a bird/small wildlife refuge in Wichita Co, TX.
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March 30, 2010 - We have a small bed with 4 copper canyon daisies. We cut them back in the fall but have not pruned them during growing season; as a result they become a big tangle by September. Should they be pruned ...
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Sowing additional wildflower and grass seeds on steep hillside
January 30, 2006 - Mr. Smarty,
we recently moved to Hot Springs, AR. We have about a 1000 sf hillside area too steep to plant with shrubs etc. We had wildflower seeds scattered last May in this area and the flowers we...
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