If you need a little help figuring out how to have the best success with planting wildflowers, head over to our “Planting Wildflowers in San Antonio” guide for some great tips.
8 Hill Country Wildflowers for Wildflower Meadows in San Antonio, Texas
You’ve seen it and you love it. How could you not? Long, magenta-purple petals hang down from the flower’s center which looks like a cute, rolled up hedgehog. These perennials wildflowers are a delight come mid-summer when many perennials are fading in color. Purple Coneflowers can grow to a mature size of 36″ tall, in a variety of soils. Butterflies and bees are favorite pollinator visitors, but leaving the seedpod through winter feeds the birds too! Plant in full sun, and cut back to the crown in early spring.
These wildflowers almost look like they should be in a Dr. Seuss book! A perennial wildflower that blooms mid summer to fall, these cheerful purple-pink blooms grow to about 2′. Providing nectar to a vast amount of pollinators, Purple Prairie Clover is easy to grow and an take the heat and periods of drought. We are delighted that these showed up in our wildflower mix this year.
A beautiful, annual wildflower that blooms brilliantly red flowers from late spring through fall. Needs well-drained soil, and once it gets established it can handle extreme heat and dry conditions. Grows about 1′ – 2′ and needs virtually no care once planted.
This gorgeous brilliant-red wildflower is commonly found in our perennial section sold as transplants, but can also be easily grown by the seeds in our mixed packet. Hummingbirds zoom straight in for the nectar in these tubular shaped flowers. Butterflies and bees are attracted to it as well. Scarlet Sage loves the heat and will bloom as long as it is warm. You can cut back plants that start to get leggy throughout summer to inspire another flush of blooms. Plant in full to part sun in well-draining soil. Grows to an average mature size of 36″-48″.
The delicate pink hue of the Showy Evening Primrose brings a softness to wildflower patches. When you come across a field of them, it’s like seeing cotton candy spread across a meadow. These wildflowers tend to strut their stuff when they are given plenty of moisture. As a matter of fact, if it’s too hot and dry, they may go dormant in summer and then reappear after some good rain shows up in fall. These semi-evergreen, perennial wildflowers grow to a mature height of about 24″ and release a sweet aroma throughout the evening starting at dusk.
A sweet, dainty, wildflower that is iin the aster family and very much looks like it. Beautiful purple petals surround a cheerful yellow center. Blooms from mid spring to fall. As with most wildflowers, well-draining soil and full sun makes these flowers pop. Grows 12′ -18″.
Flat clusters of fragrant white flowers appear on this perennial wildflower. An improtant nectar source for butterflies, the young buds and flowers of white yarrow is also edible to us! Plant in full sun as yarrow is drought and heat tolerant. Removing spent flowerheads can encourage more beautiful blooms. grows 18″-24″ tall.
Another perennial wildflower in the mix that looks like it should be in a Dr. Seuss movie. The adorable, raggedy pom-pom tops of the Wild Bergamot generally appear in hues of pink, white, or lavender. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds go gaga over this beebalm. Blooms mid summer to fall, and can reach heights of 4′.
Last quote for the series is from Edward Abbey: “I hold no preference among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous.”
~ The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
