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What Can Be Planted Now From Seed And Watered Up
For Spring Bloom
QUESTION TO: John Thomas, President and Owner of Wildseed Farms (www.wildseedfarms.com)
I need a little help from you. I am beginning to get questions on radio and e-mail such as:
January 21, 2021
Hi Dr. Jerry,
I have had a bluebonnet patch for over ten years and over those years had some good crops and some not so good but this year I cannot find one baby plant. Not one! Last year I had a good crop and like always never mowed the patch until every pod had split and dropped the seeds.
No spraying of any type of weed killer or pre-emergent. Just no baby plants.
What could have happened?
As always thanks for your help and advice.
Ralph Morgan
One Nation, under God, Indivisible.
The obvious answer is that we haven’t had enough moisture at the right times during the fall and winter to germinate the wildflowers!!!! My question now is:
WHAT CAN FOLKS PLANT NOW FROM SEED AND WATER UP FOR SPRING BLOOM!?!?
What comes to mind are Laura Bush petunias, larkspur, Blue Curl (Thacelia), maybe Poppies?
Which of your Regional Wildflower Mixes would be the best choice to plant now for spring bloom?
I will GREATLY APPRECIATE your help and advice.
ANSWER FROM JOHN THOMAS:
I recommend the following Wildflower Mixes and Selections:
Wildseed Farms at: www.wildseedfarms.com
Seed/Catalog Department: 800-848-0078
Open Monday-Friday, 8-5 CDT
PO Box 3000, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Firecracker 234 Mix – 3346
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Regular price $16.50
1/4 Pound
The Firecracker 234 mixture is a special blend of all annual varieties that will produce a spectacular "BLAST" of color during the spring and mid-summer months. The colors are so vivid, the Firecracker 234 will literally stop traffic!!! Ideal for the gardener with limited space.
1/4 pound covers 625 square feet - 1 pound covers 2,500 square feet.
Cornflower...A...11.67%
Five Spot...A...9.91%
Scarlet Flax...A...8.81%
Rocket Larkspur...A...8.15%
Baby's Breath...A...7.27%
Yellow Cosmos...A...6.61%
Indian Blanket...A...6.61%
Cosmos...A...6.61%
California Poppy...A/P...6.17%
Baby Blue Eyes...A...5.29%
African Daisy...A...4.63%
Lemon Mint...A/P...4.19%
Corn Poppy...A...3.08%
Black-Eyed Susan...A/P...2.64%
Plains Coreopsis...A...2.42%
Clasping Coneflower...A...2.20%
Sweet Alyssum...A...1.98%
Spurred Snapdragon...A...1.76%
Butterfly/Hummingbird Mix – 3347
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Regular price $16.50
1/4 Pound
NOW you can buy just 1/4 pound to do those smaller areas you've been thinking about! Butterflies and hummingbirds add color, active movement and beauty to any home garden. This gourmet blend of blooms will provide you with many hours of intrigue and enjoyment by enticing our iridescent flying friends. Requires 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
1/4 pound per 625 square feet - 1 pound per 2,500 square feet
Common Name...Annual/Perennial...% by Weight
Purple Coneflower... P... 11.56%
Tickseed... P... 9.80%
Cornflower... A... 7.38%
Rocket Larkspur... A... 6.50%
Blanketflower... P... 6.28%
Indian Blanket... A... 5.89%
Drummond Phlox... A... 5.73%
Scarlet Sage... A/P... 5.29%
Candytuft... A/P... 4.96%
Yellow Cosmos... A... 4.96%
Sweet William... A/P... 4.74%
Cosmos... A... 4.52%
Wallflower... P/B... 3.41%
Lemon Mint... A/P... 3.30%
Moss Verbena... P... 2.86%
Standing Cypress... P... 2.62%
Black-Eyed Susan... A/P... 2.09%
Shasta Daisy... P... 2.06%
Plains Coreopsis... A... 1.87%
Butterfly Weed... P... 1.76%
Sweet Alyssum... A... 1.54%
Spurred Snapdragon... A... .88%
Laura Bush Petunia – 8882
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Regular price $3.19 Packet
Petunia X violacea (Solanaceae)
A hardy, reseeding annual variety native to South America. This rugged old-fashioned petunia variety was bred for heat tolerance and disease resistance. The Laura Bush Petunia scoffs at extreme summer temperatures, producing numerous 1 - 1 ½ inch bell-shaped violet colored flowers. As the mercury rises in the dog days of summer, this baby literally cranks out the blooms. As an added bonus the dark green foliage serves as a background to compliment the vibrant flowers that practically glow. Prefers full sun in well drained, fertile soil. Very low maintenance and quite impressive!
Direct sow in early spring after the danger of frost has passed.
Suggested Use: Wooded barrels, borders, hanging baskets.
Miscellaneous Use: Flowers are delightfully fragrant. Reseeds. If started in flats, space transplants 12 inches apart. Soil temperatures below 68°F will limit germination response. Requires a minimum of 7 hours of direct sun or plants will become spindly and have fewer blooms.
Average Planting Success: 70%
Height: 8 - 24 inches
Germination: 15 - 30 days
Optimum Soil Temp. for Germination: 68°F - 86°F
Sowing Depth: Surface Sow
Blooming Period: April - First Frost
Average Seeds Per Pound: 6,549,000
Seeds/Pkt: 200 Covers 30 sq.ft.
1 oz covers 2,723 sq.ft.
Seeding Rate: 1 lb. per acre
Laura Bush Petunia Pink – 8860
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Regular price $3.19 Packet
Petunia X violacea (Solanaceae)
A hardy, reseeding annual variety native to South America. The Laura Bush Petunia goes "Hollywood" with a new color dimension: iridescent pink. The Pink Laura Bush Petunia is an open pollinated color selection that has retained all the desirable traits of heat and cold tolerance and disease resistance as the original Laura Bush Petunia. The intolerable shaped flowers to burst into a breathtaking display of color. Prefers full sun in well drained, fertile soil. Very low maintenance and quite impressive!
Rocket Larkspur – 3215
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Regular price $2.89 Packet
Delphinium ajacis (Ranunculaceae)
A winter annual, native to southern Europe, it has naturalized throughout the United States. Larkspurs are distinguished by a backward projecting spur, formed by the upper petal of the flower. Tightly compact blossoms are arranged on spikes in shades of pink, white, and deep blue. Prefers full sun to partial shade in very well drained soils. CAUTION: The seeds and leaves of the Rocket Larkspur are poisonous if consumed.
Suggested Use: Mixtures, roadsides, waste areas, floral gardens.
Miscellaneous: A delightful and easy to grow garden favorite. A marvelous plant to accent any cut flower arrangement. The plants are likely to rot at the base in soils that retain excessive moisture.
Average Planting Success: 80%
Height: 3 - 4 feet
Germination: 15 - 30 days
Optimum Soil Temp. for Germination: 50°F - 60°F
Sowing Depth: 1/8"
Blooming Period: April - September
Average Seeds Per Pound: 150,000
Seeds/Pkt: 125 - covers 15 sq. ft.
1 oz Covers: 272 sq. ft.
Seeding Rate: 10 lbs. per acre
Amazing Grey Poppy – 3235
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Regular price $3.89 Packet
Papaver rhoeas (Papeveraceae)
A unique and truly impressive color in a poppy never before seen! Amazing Grey Poppies bloom in captivating shades of silver grey to slate blue. The large, single and half-double flower petals are often trimmed with white edges. A hardy annual ideal for fall or very early spring sowing. The foliage remains inconspicuous allowing the flower to express its full beauty. Prefers well drained soil in full sun to partial shade.
Suggested Use: Flower gardens, roadsides, meadows, mixtures, cut flowers.
Average Planting Success: 80%
Height: 2 - 2½ feet
Germination: 10 - 30 days
Optimum Soil Temp. for Germination: 60°F - 70°F
Sowing Depth: Surface Sow
Blooming Period: March - July
Seeds/Pkt: 400 - covers 15 sq.ft.
1 oz Covers: 1,361 sq.ft.
Maroon “Aggie” Poppy (Papaver laciniatum ‘Grant’s Garnet’)
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Maroon “Aggie” Poppy (Papaver laciniatum ‘Grant’s Garnet’). This seedling selection was made and isolated by Greg Grant in his garden from a batch of double red poppies originally collected from a garden near Johnson City. Poppies are cool season annuals that are planted in full sun on bare prepared soil from seed in the fall or transplants in winter and bloom in the spring before setting seed and dying with the heat. Single flowered and red flowered plants should be removed leaving only the double maroons for seed parents.
Give each plant a minimum of one square foot to grow.
Fertilize once in the spring depending on how the plants look before they bolt and bloom.
Don't over fertilize however or they'll will collapse and all over.
And PULL UP any singles, reds, or anything not fully double and maroon.
Don't want any strangers sleeping with my babies... –Greg Grant
AVAILABLE FROM PARTICIPATING NURSERSIES SUCH AS MILBERGER’S NURSERY FOR $2 PER PACKAGE
Blue Curls Phacelia congesta
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Native American Seed • Junction, Texas • 1-800-728-4043 •
E-mail: info@seedsource.com
Item #: 3133
Category: Wildflowers
Habit: Annual
Bloom: Mar-May
Height: 1-3'
Planting Rates: Pkt covers 20 square feet
Dpak covers 200 square feet
Price:
1 pkt. - $3.00
Dpak - $29.00
Description
Also called Spike Phacelia, Spiderflower and Fiddleneck, Blue Curls can be found in roadside ditches in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico. They will grow in sand, loam, clay, or limestone soils; they aren't really all that particular. They do like a bit of extra moisture, although they don't want to have their feet in standing water. Be sure you give them well drained soil. The nicest Blue Curls we've ever seen were on the side of a bar ditch in dappled shade. The second nicest were in a pasture area where hay had been fed, in full sun.
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