If you haven’t seen
wildflowers in Texas in spring, you haven’t lived! The highway medians and hillsides are full of color – bright red, yellow and blue, pink and cream – but you better look out because cars are always pulling off side of highway to ogle and take photographs. It’s a tradition to get in your car in spring and go look at wildflowers. Nearly everyone in Texas has a photo of their kids in bluebonnets. Typically, in my photo album there’s a photo of me in bluebonnets taken by my grandmother, a photo of my sons in bluebonnets, taken by me, and a photo of my granddaughter in bluebonnets taken by my daughter-in-law.
Isn’t it time you had a photo of your family in bluebonnets? Why not make plans this year to have a drive in Central Texas and start a new family tradition? Bluebonnets, state flower, grow all over Texas Hill Country, from San Antonio up to Dallas and for two weekends in April people come from all around for what has become one of central Texas’ major events.
“Don’t be surprised,” says an article in Austin Statesman “to see 30 to 40 cars pulled off road at some spots, with children squatting in neck-high fields of lupinus, better known as bluebonnets, smiling for family camera.”
In fact it’s such an event, there are hotlines you can call that track sightings of wildflowers and tell you best places: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (http://www.wildflower.org ) - 512-832-4037, and Texas Department of Transportation – 1-800-452-9292 - which provides tourism information and also option to hear reports on wildflower sightings throughout state.
When you come, plan your trip to include WILDSEED FARMS ( www.wildseedfarms.com ), largest working wildflower seed farm in US. I discovered farm on my way to visit LYNDON B. JOHNSON STATE PARK, which is between Fredericksburg and Johnson City. I was driving along highway, and all of a sudden cars were swerving, stopping, pulling over, and heading back. There on my left were beautiful gardens full of brilliant color, and I joined in, pulling over and heading back.
Equidistant from Junction, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and seven miles east of Fredericksburg, WildSeed Farm is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Here’s a map: http://www.wildseedfarms.com/farm_map.html .
The farm has 200 acres of wildflowers at different stages of growth. Texas bluebonnets, red corn poppies and phlox in spring, and cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias in summer. While at Wildseed Farms, you can stroll along walking trails, observe a working farm, and then visit market retail center and buy some seeds! There’s plenty of room for kids to run around, and when else can they see a working wildflower seed farm? Later you can relax in BrewBonnet Biergarten which offers beer, wine or soft drinks, ice cream, German tacos (you’re on your own there!) and various snacks. In Garten Haus, you can buy house plants, and in Blumen Haus, fresh cut flowers are available.
One of special events at Wildseed, “Pedernales Valley Wildflower Festival” will be held April 5-18th this year featuring new Butterfly House with native butterflies. For more information call 1-800-848-0078 or visit them on web. Do be aware that I’m sorry to say their photographs do not do justice to what you will see in person if you hit Texas highways in April.
This part of Texas is filled with quaint shops and historical places, excellent food, and a welcome attitude toward tourists. There are innumerable attractions to visit, but I’ll mention one if you’re especially interested in flowers.
Be sure and visit ANTIQUE ROSE EMPORIUM in San Antonio, 7561 Evers Road, 210-651-4565, open daily. Tour grounds and beautiful displays garden and pick up some hardy antique roses for your own garden.
