Austin, Texas, Feb. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Austin, TX– Experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are predicting the 2024 wildflower season to be a banner year of blooms.
“On a scale from one to 10, this year looks like it could be an eight, for bluebonnets in particular, if not even better,” says Andrea DeLong-Amaya, the Center’s Director of Horticulture. “This fall and winter we’ve enjoyed adequate rainfall that’s been well-spaced, which is really key to wildflower development.”
In addition, DeLong-Amaya says the 2023 drought will likely boost this year’s wildflower season.
“Last summer’s drought likely helped this spring’s wildflower display,” added Matt O’Toole, Director of Land Management for the Wildflower Center. “When we have extreme weather the prior summer, we see some plant mortality, which reduces competition in the soil and creates space for spring blooming wildflowers.”
Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis), Texas star ( Lindheimera texana) and golden-eye phlox (Phlox roemeriana) are already growing and popping up at the Wildflower Center. So are perennials like golden groundsell (Packera obovata) and large buttercup (Ranunculus macranthus), which are already blooming
While rainfall influences the quantity of blooms, sunlight and warmth influence the timing of blooms. So, if it's been a warmer winter, early spring-blooming plants like bluebonnets will bloom even earlier.
In addition to predicting a spectacular spring season, the Wildflower Center has designated the rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala) – a member of the mallow family – as the Wildflower of the Year for 2024.
Highlighting native plants that are high-performers and crowd-pleasers when it comes to blooms and ease of growing in the home garden, our horticultural experts chose rock rose because of its long blooming season (which lasts from April to November in Texas), adaptability to various light conditions, robust heat tolerance, and the fact that it is widely available and easy to grow.
For more information about the 2024 wildflower season, visit the Wildflower Center’s Texas Wildflower Central webpage.
To download high-resolution wildflower photos for your story, please visit this link and credit each photo as “Credit: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center”.
For press inquiries, contact Scott Simons, Director of Marketing and Communications.
About The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is part of The University of Texas at Austin and welcomes more than 245,000 guests to its 284 acres of gardens, trails, and exhibitions each year, fulfilling its mission to inspire the conservation of native plants. Designated the State Botanic Garden and Arboretum by the Texas legislature in 2017, the Wildflower Center’s investments in science, education and conservation include a native seed bank, one of the most comprehensive databases of North American native plants, and a research program in collaboration with the University. Founded in 1982, the Center is the embodiment of Lady Bird Johnson’s environmental legacy. As she noted, “Our Center works for more than the lovely blossoms in our open spaces. We are concerned for all of North America’s native plants, from the smallest sprout to the tallest tree.”
Scott Simons Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 5124225948 ssimons@wildlfower.org
