Bluebonnet Properties

Poor-Soil Tolerance

• Bluebonnets grow well in dry, poor soil where many other plants do not thrive. They prefer sandy good-draining soil rather than poor-draining soil that contains a lot of clay. This annual will germinate in this type of soil, but does not reach mature size. Since the bluebonnet is a member of the pea family, it fixes nitrogen in the soil, which enriches poor soil sites.

Ground Cover Leaves

• The leaves of this plant create mounding rosettes that grow throughout the winter in areas without heavy snow. The round leaves are palmately compound leaves. This means that the green leaf is broken up into five leaflets, which resemble a star. Reaching 6 to 12 inches tall, these leaves protect the soil by preventing strong winds from picking up the topsoil and blowing it away.

Ornamental Flowers

• This variety of lupine produces larger flower heads than other types. The 6- to 18-inch spike is covered with up to 50 individual blossoms clustered together. The dark blue blooms appear in the spring. When a new blossom appears on the spikes they are dark blue with white centers. These centers make it easier for pollinators like honey bees to see the flowers. After the blossom is pollinated, the centers change to a purple color.

Self-Seeding

• One benefit of these annual flowers is that they self-seed, which is handy when grown in a difficult to access location. The seed pods, which resemble pea pods, follow the blooming flowers. Once the seed are released, the parent plant dies off making room for new plants. Growing bluebonnets from seed requires scarifying the seeds to break the natural seed dormancy. Freeze the seeds overnight and then immerse in boiling water quickly to crack the seed coat. Once planted, the seeds germinate in 15 to 75 days depending on the soil temperature. Germination is best when the temperatures range from 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.