Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg wants you to know that fall is the time to sow the seeds for a colorful spring. “Now is the time to plant,” says John Thomas, owner of the world’s largest privately owned wildflower seed company.
At any given time of the year the company’s 1,600 acres of wildflowers are in various stages of the growth cycle. The farm harvests and sells 88 varieties of seeds from fields in Eagle Lake and the Hill Country. Last year the fields produced more than 50,000 pounds of bluebonnet seeds.
“We’re a leader in a new industry,” Thomas says. His customers include 26 state highway departments as well 600,000 subscribers to his seed catalog and the thousands of visitors to the Market Center and fields on U.S. 290, seven miles east of Fredericksburg.
The Market Center is a lavish wood and rock retail center surrounded by 400 acres of working wildflower fields. It is here that many people get their first look at the wonders of Wildseed Farms. Modeled after the famous horse barn at the 6666 Ranch in the Panhandle, the building gives the visitor the feeling of visiting a family farm.
From seeds to salsas, the shelves in the Market Center are full of Texas paraphernalia. Seeds are available in packages that will cover 20 square feet to 2,000 square feet of colorful blooms next spring, Thomas says. The farm also sells potted plants, herbs, dried plant arrangements, gardening supplies, and decorative gifts, many that are handmade in the area. They carry an assortment of Texas wines, candies, and foods.
In back of the showroom is the Brew-bonnet Biergarten, a rustic Texas-style deli with dirt floors and a fireplace in the corner. The food center sells sandwiches, ice cream, beer, and snacks.
The grounds of the Market Center are actually test plots that the farm uses for display as well as research. A self-guided walking tour supported by a list of the plants allows the visitors to see first-hand what the plants look like. Of the 30 species of plants on the tour, nearly half are planted on a trial basis to evaluate the crop production.
“Research keeps us busy,” Thomas says. Of the more than 5,000 wildflowers in the world, only about 52 varieties are in common usage. Since 1983, Wildseed Farms has been working to bring prices down and quality up. They were largely responsible for making Indian paintbrush seeds available to the public. When Thomas started in the business, bluebonnet seeds were expensive and did not always have a good percentage of sprouts. “It has been very challenging and rewarding work,” he says.
A fourth-generation Texas rancher, Thomas grew up on the family plot outside of Eagle Lake. In 1971, he started a turf-seeding company growing grasses for landscape architects. The wildseed business started with a single row of bluebonnets that he grew for the Texas Department of Transportation.
“It started as a hobby 20 years ago to see if we could do it,” Thomas says of growing wildflowers. “We’ve had some failures and some successes, but we’ve always built on our successes. It’s been a real labor of love.”
Not only has Wildseed Farms developed improved plants and heartier seeds, but they have had to invent just about all of the harvesting equipment. Thomas and his staff built a machine that will plant 14 varieties of seeds simultaneously. They also developed a vacuum seed retriever. “Just about all of our equipment is shop-made,” Thomas says — even the combine has been modified for their specific use.
Popular on the showroom shelves this year is a maroon bluebonnet that Wildseed Farms has been working hard to make commercially available. Bluebonnets naturally come in lavender, white, and pink varieties. Dr. Jerry Parson with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service discovered that when the blues cross-pollinated with the pinks the result was a beautiful maroon flower. After four years of hand-selecting the plants, Thomas came up with 1,000 pounds of seeds to gives gardeners a unique landscape plant.
Wildseed Farms is currently working on producing the pink bluebonnet in commercial quantities. They also are trying to develop a perennial Indian paintbrush. “It’s a fun thing working with God’s colors,” Thomas says. “Who doesn’t enjoy working around flowers?” But don’t forget, almost all of the native wildflowers should be sowed in the fall in Central Texas.
“The Hill Country is the largest flower show on earth during the spring,” Thomas says. “There are hundreds of acres of blooming flowers along the highways. There’s nothing like it.” And he wants more people to be a part of the beauty.
While the fields may be at their most colorful from March through June, the savvy shopper knows that gardening seldom means instant gratification. The Market Center is gearing up for Christmas shopping, and “fall is a great time for Hill Country day trip, too,” Thomas adds.
Wildseed Farms is about 65 miles west of Austin on U.S. 290. There is no admission fee for the Market Center, walking tour, and Brew-bonnet Biergarten. Doors open daily 9:30am-6pm. For more information, call 830/990-1393 or http://www.wildseedfarms.com.
Coming up this weekend …
Night Skies Over The LBJ Ranch in Stonewall presented by the Austin Astronomical Association takes visitors to the ranch hangar for a slide show and then to telescopes to view the heavens, Nov. 13, by reservation only. 830/644-2420.
Kid’n’Ewe and Llamas Too! at the Blanco County Fairgrounds in Johnson City includes a fleece-to-shawl spinning contest as well as other wool and llama fiber events, Nov. 13-14. 512/858-7920.
Gathering of the Scottish Clans in Salado features Highland games, demonstrations, and events, Nov. 12-14. 254/947-5232.
Coming up …
The Poetry of Things, an exhibition of 55 of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings, watercolors, and works on paper at the Dallas Museum of Art, continues through Jan. 30. 214/922-1200.
Maiden Voyage of Carnival Cruises‘ four-day cruises out of Galveston to Cozumel and Playa del Carmen happens Oct. 5-9, 2000. 800/755-8551.
This article appears in November 12 • 1999.
