Texas Bluebells

Blooms velvety and almost iridescent. Cool blue, purple, pink, white colors pull the eye like a magnet in hot Texas summers. Sparsely seen along riverbanks. Long ago, thriving colonies seen in open grassy fields near perched water and hillside seeps. One of Lady Bird's favorites. Our most influential first lady, Mrs. Johnson's acute intuition about what natural beauty can do for society was shaped by her love and holistic view of the environment. To our way of thinking, this is one of the most beautiful of the Texas Wildflowers. It is also one of the most rare for the same reason. Too many of them have been picked in the past, and therefore haven't had the chance to seed out and replace themselves. When allowed to seed out, they produce huge quantities of seed that are finer than ground pepper, and look much the same. For this reason, we add a carrier to make them easier to handle. Bluebells are more particular about their location than a lot of our other wildflowers. They like a very moist site, and plenty of sun. In the wild, you find them growing on slopes that seep water, and especially around the edges of stockponds. Giving them a little extra water during very hot dry periods would help. Plant them in a border with other flowers enjoying the same conditions, such as Cardinal flowers; so you can water the Bluebells, without harming anything else. Both of these plants would be great to use around the sunny edge of a water garden.