It's amazing what happens when you put out the welcome mat for native plants and flowers. For example, these Indian Blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) or Firewheel surprised me by blooming this week.
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It has taken several years of encouragement, but now the wildflowers are gaining foothold. This week adds the Indian Blankets as one more wildflower on the list of those successfully blooming in the lawn. Only a few appeared this year but this is just a beginning. Indian blankets grow easily in the San Antonio area and I love looking at thick plantings of them along the local roadsides each year. The purple flowers on the right are Prairie Verbena (Glandularia bipinnatifida) going to seed and a few bluebonnets are still holding on due to our cool weather this spring. Prairie Verbena started the wildflower idea going by appearing in the native buffalo grass lawn each spring until I finally got the message and started seeking out other local wildflowers to join them.
The Texas bluebonnet seeds are beginning to dry on the plants. The seed crop is a bit disappointing due to the lack of bees this year. Look closely at the stems and there should be a row of three seed pods at every node. The existence of blank nodes means those flowers were not pollinated.
We'll collect and treat the bluebonnet seeds again to ensure maximum germination.
These Stiff Greenthread (Thelesperma filifolium) flowers are new in the backyard this year having seeded themselves.
The bright yellow flowers appear as the bluebonnets begin to fade.
Greenthread flowers pop up everywhere around the neighborhood when left alone, like along the curb in our front yard.
To learn more about wildflowers be sure to check out the links at Clay and Limestone. A big thank you to Gail for hosting Wildflower Wednesday.
Beautiful...love how they are all sowing themselves about...so cool!
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing left to their own devices for the most part.
DeleteI love Gaillardia and am anxiously waiting for mine to start blooming. I love how your wildflowers look perfectly natural in your yard.
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate hearing that as it is the goal.
DeleteBeautiful wildflowers!
ReplyDeleteI had Indian Blanket last year - hope it comes back this year.
Happy Wildflower Wednesday!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
I hope it does come back for you, I am enjoying them here.
DeleteSo pretty. I have seen quite a few bees, not like years past. That is sad. I hope something is done soon about that.
ReplyDeleteWe have been colder than usual for bluebonnet season so they may have retreated.
DeleteThere are a number of Gaillardia growing on StoneWater Beach here at my gardens. I have posted some photos you can find in the archives. But, it will be many weeks before they are blooming here again. You are lucky to have it so much warmer than here at the lake at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky three seasons of the year, but you wouldn't want to trade my summer for yours.
DeleteHow great to have the wildflowers pop up by themselves, and fill in. The Gaillardia are a pretty red. The last photo with the rocks and cactus are more how I remember San Antonio.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a variety of yards around town, but this is a popular look.
DeleteI love how those little greenthread flowers seed themselves everywhere! They look so pretty with the bluebonnets.
ReplyDeleteSome might consider them weeds, but I am letting them grow. I might try to confine them to the back yard but I think they would still find their own way.
DeleteHello there, Shirley! That Firewheel is an absolute stunner – I love it. I have enjoyed reading and seeing images of your wildflower yard which I’ll take a guess sees many insect visitors. I can see that this is an exciting project but one to be patient with too. Enjoy :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder to be patient, it might be easy to go and buy the seeds but I am a slow gardener.
DeleteI really like the look of the wildflowers in the buffalo grass. Your Gaillardia seems so well behaved. Mine came up so thick last year that I removed most of them before they had a chance to reseed. Most of the plants that came up for this year are in the hellstrip under two foot high bluebonnets. I need to check my bluebonnets so see how well they were pollinated.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to the day I need to remove some wildflowers before they seed. I am trying to move the Mexican Hats to the sides because they are taller but they grow where they want to anyway.
DeleteWhat I like is how the wildflowers at your place are subtle, not overly dense and overgrown in the over-watered "meadow" plantings some do. Maybe the lean, rocky soil we both have has some more benefits, like that?
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely not overwatered. They are sparse because they are just getting going but I do check the nearby fields to see how they look to keep it consistent if possible.
DeleteAhhh, Indian blanket. I've planted some here in Connecticut and hope it comes back soon. I like the idea of making a space welcoming for wildflowers, just as one does with mosses. I love what you've done so far and sure you'll have as much success as you want, going wild.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lee, I look forward to seeing your flowers soon. Going wild, love that!
DeleteIndian blanket was one of the few wildflowers that persisted long after sowing a wildflower mix.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to grow quite well despite all the setbacks weatherwise we've had in the last few years.
DeleteYour wildflowers are fabulous in their free state...I love them growing along the curb.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have the heart to pull them out like some neighbors do so they will stay.
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