How to Harvest Bluebonnet Seeds

Bluebonnets are a type of wild lupine flower. While this Texas state flower grows wild, it can also be grown in flower gardens and containers in the home landscape. Saving bluebonnet seeds allows you to grow the plants each year without the need to purchase new seed stock. This is especially important if you live outside of Texas and other areas where bluebonnets are in high demand, as the seeds may not be easy to find.

Bowl

Envelope

Marker

Wait for the bluebonnet flowers to fade and drop from the flower stalk. The bluebonnet produces a bulbous seed pod where the petals once were.

Pick the bluebonnet stem once the seed pod has formed, usually in June. Pick it while there is still green on the plant leaves, otherwise the pod may open and spill the seeds before you can collect them.

Place the stem and seed pod in a bowl and set it in a warm, dry room to finish maturing for one to two weeks. Once ripe, the seed pod cracks open.

Pull open the seed pod and shake out the seeds into the bowl. Pick through them and remove any dried plant bits or pieces of the pod.

Place the bluebonnet seeds into an envelope and label it with the name of the plant and the year the seeds were harvested. Store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant the seeds.

Bluebonnet seeds must be scarified before they can germinate. Scuff the seed coat with a metal file or a piece of sandpaper prior to planting.

Store seeds in a sealed jar with a silica gel packet inside to keep them dry. Silica is available from florist shops.

Store bluebonnet seeds away from moisture, otherwise they may rot before planting. A refrigerator or cool garden shed or garage are good locations.