Two Spring Seasons

Central Texas has two seasons with new life bursting from the ground

I used to think of spring as the only season when seeds germinate, pushing up en masse from the ground, a great greening. However, watching my yard over the years, I've come to see that Central Texas has two seasons of renewal.

Of course, the obvious one is spring, March-May. The trees leaf out, and many plants emerge. Sunflowers are a spring/summer plant and come up at this time of year, as well as many other wildflowers and grasses. Plants that died back in a winter killing freeze put up new growth, like lantana and passionflower.

[Picture: Bluebonnet and rescuegrass seedlings in October, pushing up through the dead leaves]
Some plants, however, are winter plants, and their season of new growth is in the fall - like a second spring, if you know where to look. Among these plants are bluebonnets, larkspur, winter grasses, and cleavers. Sometimes my yard is at its greenest in the fall and early winter.

September - November is not as showy as March - May. Nothing much will be blooming. One of the reasons that March - May is so full of flowers is because the winter plants are finally flowering, and the spring flowers overlap. In the fall, the trees may be dropping their leaves, but numerous sprouts abound on the ground below.

As my yard had grown more natural, I've been privileged to see waves of plants grow, not just those in the spring, but almost all year long.