Lady Bird Royal Blue Bluebonnet

Every time I see a field of bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush and other wildflowers, I think of Lady Bird Johnson. Her passion for wildflowers and for her home state created a legacy that will be enjoyed for generations to come. How fitting that a new variety of bluebonnet has been named after her - and was chosen as the "Rodeo Flower" for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Lady Bird Royal Blue bluebonnet is a spectacular shade of blue.

Dr, Jerry Parsons of A&M and Micah Meyer, Jefferson County AgriLife specialist, have written a guide for successfully cultivating bluebonnets. Some of the tips are: Choose the right location. It must be sunny - at least 8-10 hours a day. If not, don't expect a good show. Bluebonnets will thrive in any soil or potting mix as long as it is well drained. Keep the potting mix or soil slightly moist - not overly wet. Once plants become established (two or three weeks after planting), they are relatively drought tolerant and one of Texas' toughest natives. Bluebonnets form ground-hugging rosettes, only several inches tall, but with a spread up to dinner-plate size. The plant will not grow rapidly (no matter how much you water or fertilize) until warm spring temperatures prompt flower stalks. Beneath the rosette of leaves, a large mass of roots has the ability to form nitrogen-fixing nodules called Rhizobium which are filled with beneficial bacteria that can take nitrogen from the atmosphere and feed the plant. Fertilize sparingly unless plants are pale green/yellowish. Use a water soluble fertilizer (like MiracleGro) when watering. Be careful not to place transplants too deep. The crown should not be buried; the plant will rot.

Photo credit: Dr. Jerry Parsons

I checked on the rainwater harvesting system at the Master Gardeners Test Garden and this is what I found: According to Micah Meyer, the Horticulture Agri-Life agent, the system wasn't expensive.

"We had to buy the gutters, pvc pipe, & glue. The rain barrels were donated. I think we spent around $100 dollars on it. You should be able to find a rain barrel for under $50 or sometimes free. Depending on your current gutter system, you may not have to buy anything extra at all. I would imagine that most people could install a simple rainfall collection system for around $50 to $150. Its just a matter of how fancy you want it to be," Micah said.

Mystery continues

Folks, the mystery of the unidentified blue flower remains.

Micah Meyer, horticultural ag agent for Jefferson County, wrote in to say he thinks the flower Judy of Lumberton has been trying to identify is neither a Peruvian lily, as I thought, or a walking iris, as PJ thought.

Micah said he can't tell for sure, but the flower looks like what is commonly called "blue-eyed grass" from the genus Sisyrinchium spp. One of his plant books says that there are around 16 species in Texas and that they tend to hybridize readily. That could explain why it isn't an exact match when I look it up, though it looks close. The only difference is the leaves of blue-eye grass are skinnier.

Dig-It! reader Margie said the plant is Aristea Ecklonii, commonly called Blue Star. The avid gardener sent along a photo of her plant - and it's about as close a match as I've seen. Here it is so you can judge for yourself - and thanks, Margie and Micah.