Native Plants

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Saturday - September 27, 2008

From: Marble Falls, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Flowers for Central Texas wedding in May
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi there! I am getting married in Marble Falls, TX in May. My soon to be husband and I are very eco-conscious, and were wondering what type of flowers are local and in season for a Central Texas wedding in May?

ANSWER:

We do love to talk about weddings! Oddly enough, nearly a year ago we had a question from a couple about a similar topic for nearly the same time of year, April 2009. Although their situation was different in that they are clearing and planting family property for the wedding, it still would be worth your while to read this previous answer.

You didn't say if you were looking for the flowers as decorations, bouquets or simply backdrop, so we're just going to list the flowers that are native to your part of the state that should be in bloom in May. You can follow the link for each flower and get more information. We will make this choice by going to Recommended Species, clicking on Central Texas on the map, and Narrowing our Search on Herbs (for habit), and time of bloom. If you do this yourself, you will find there are 48 possibilities, from which we chose a dozen. You can make your own choices, based on color or availability.

Remember, there is no guarantee that any or all of these will be in bloom at any specific place or any particular time. They are, after all, "wild" flowers, and very dependant on rain and weather. We will all hope for more rain this Winter, so our Texas fields will be lovely with wildflowers again next year.

Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) - yellow, orange, perennial

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppymallow) - white, pink, purple, perennial

Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed) - yellow, perennial

Echinacea purpurea (eastern purple coneflower) - pink, purple, perennial

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel) - red, yellow, brown, annual

Lobelia cardinalis (cardinalflower) - red, perennial

Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) - white, pink, purple, perennial

Phlox drummondii (annual phlox) - white, red, pink, purple, annual

Ratibida columnifera (upright prairie coneflower) - orange, yellow, brown, perennial

Salvia coccinea (blood sage) -white, red, pink, annual

Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa (stemmy four-nerve daisy) - yellow, perennial

Wedelia texana (hairy wedelia) - orange, yellow, perennial