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BLUEBONNETS CAUSE 'SKY TO FALL' IN TEXAS IN APRIL
I've taken a lot of trips since I began writing this column in 1993 and there's always been something at each destination that captured my horticultural imagination.
In China, it was the bamboo. It grows everywhere and is used in hundreds of ingenious ways. In Egypt, it was the Nile River and the cornucopia of plant life sustained by the river. In Greece & Turkey, I was captivated by ancient olive trees and by beautiful bougainvillea vines that cascade and ramble over garden walls and balconies. In Charleston, SC, my senses were filled with antebellum garden flowers and I learned about the ancient African art of crafting sweetgrass baskets.
This all came to mind a couple of weeks ago when I spent five spring days in the Texas hill country that surrounds Johnson City, the birthplace of Lyndon Johnson, our 39th president of the United States. Hill Country roadsides are a painter's palate of color, the most spectacular being the sky blue of Texas bluebonnets, the state flower since 1901. Interestingly, the two runners-up candidates in the Texas legislature's debate over naming a state flower were the cotton boll and the cactus.
In 1965, Congress passed the National Highway Beautification Act, largely through the efforts of Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Johnson. Both, of course, were native Texans and used the state as an example of what could be accomplished in other parts of the country.
In addition to bluebonnets, Texas roadsides in April are filled with the contrasting colors of Indian paintbrush, prairie verbena, huisache daisy, spider wort, pink evening primrose, wild garlic, musk thistle, Texas star, Texas vervain, wine cup and yarrow.
I discovered that Texas' blooming highway phenomenon doesn't happen by accident. Texas was the first state in America to plant flowers along its roadways and today the Texas Department of Transportation sows 60,000 pounds of wildflower seeds each year along the state's 79,000 miles of state highways.
Several years ago, I mistakenly ordered Texas Blue Bells flower seed, thinking I would be growing the Texas state flower. Also called lisianthus or eustoma, Texas Blue Bells seed must be planted indoors in January in Minnesota and grown under lights in order for seedlings to be ready for potting outdoors in May. While I now realize this is a completely different flower than Texas bluebonnets, it has been a worthwhile effort because Texas Blue Bells produce a profusion of 2-1/2-inch blue flowers on densely branched 12-inch plants that fill pots and bloom for months during the hot summer.
Texas bluebonnets are a legume, like green beans and peanuts. "They are most famous in Texas because they prefer our alkaline clay soil," explains Dotty Woodson, Texas A&M extension horticulturist. "They are wildflowers, but they are also cultivated by wildflower seed companies that collect their seeds."
There are actually six species of bluebonnets, each with a long, technical name. The type most people know is Lupinus texensis, which grows in Central Texas. It has pointed leaflets and a flowering blue stalk with a white top. The plants grow 6 to 12 inches tall, and the flower is 4 to 8 inches tall.
Other species range from 2 inches to 3 feet tall. The long-stem bluebonnets that grow in the El Paso area are really fragrant and can be ordered from florist shops. Another bluebonnet, the Lupinus plattensis, is a 2-foot-tall perennial plant that grows in the Plains states.
Bluebonnets start blooming as early as March, bloom in profusion in April and can last into May. The beauty along Texas highways has been described as the time when the sky falls on Texas, while others liken it to a gently rolling sea of the bluest blue. In my view, it is far more satisfying to see mile after mile of wildflowers along the highway than mile after mile of green grass.
With the exception of dandelions, the closest I have come to seeing Minnesota roadsides filled with blooming wildflowers is the rainbow of wild lupines that fill the ditches along Highway #61 north of Duluth. Out of curiosity, I contacted Minnesota's DOT to learn what our state's policy is about highway beautification. Since they have not responded to my query, I am concluding for now that the Minnesota DOT does not have a highway beautification program.
At any rate, now that I've seen the beauty of Texas Hill Country, I may have to return again. It was gratifying to discover that springtime actually occurs somewhere in the U.S. in April.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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