Texas Bluebonnet

The Texas Bluebonnet, a Lupine and a distant relative of peas and beans, became the State Flower of Texas in 1901. It grows from Houston to El Paso, and from Laredo to Denton and everywhere in between. It also grows in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas in Mexico. It prefers hillsides and well-draining soil. If you have heavy clay soil, you can grow it in a pot, or amend your soil with compost or crushed granite to improve drainage. Do not plant it in a low area where water pools after rain.

Along with the iconic Texas Bluebonnet (L. texanis) another Lupine grows in North Texas: the Sandyland Bluebonnet (L. subcarnosus). Bluebonnets are annuals, so the plant you buy in spring will bloom this year, cast its seed, and then die. Seeds are very hard, which allows them to remain dormant in the soil for a few months or even several years. Seeds sprout in late fall, and evergreen 5-7 lobed leaves offer a carpet of green all winter, before blooming the following spring and repeating the cycle. After it flowers, allow the seed pods to fully dry and split open, to cast their seed, before you cut back the plant.  The Gray Hairstreak butterfly caterpillar relies on the Bluebonnet as a host plant.  Learn more at Native Gardeners, Native Plant Society, and Master Naturalists.

Plant Size: 4" Pot
Scientific Name: Lupinus texensis
Height: 2 feet
Spread: 2 feet
Light:  Full Sun