Uh-oh, my bluebonnets are pink
Don’t you hate it when the plant you buy turns out to flower in the wrong color? Here I am, trying to get my garden all jazzed up for the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling. Having waited too late to plant the Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis ) seeds MSS so kindly gave me (they need to be sown in the fall), I sprang for three nice, full plants at Shoal Creek Nursery a few weeks ago. Now they’re starting to bloom, and what do I see?
They’re pink!
Even worse, just two of them are pink, and the other one is blue. They’re not only the wrong color; they’re unmatched in the wrong color.
Good grief.
What do you do when you buy a plant that turns out to be mislabeled and blooms in a color you didn’t expect or particularly want? I’m a traditionalist where bluebonnets are concerned and don’t see why growers messed with the beautiful blue in the first place. However, these pinkbonnets are now flourishing in my garden, and I dislike the idea of yanking them out. It’s not their fault that they’re pink, is it?
What would you do?
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
They are BEAUTIFUL! Leave them in! Variation is a good thing and so many people will never know the difference! Kathryn
What? Pull out a lovely plant that’s doing it’s best? They’re so pretty Pam! Think of them as pastels for Easter, and leave them in 🙂
It looks like a happy accident to me. Everyone will think you are so creative!
I wouldn’t YANK them out – but if the color bothers you, you could move them to a place where they (and you!) will be happier! Then go buy 2 more blooming blue ones!!! So sorry. I know that’s a bummer. At least it isn’t a tree!
I fully expect to see those pinkbonnets when I am there. Oh, yes. I hope they are still blooming in two weeks.
I would go back to the nursery where you bought them, pictures, receipts, and blog post in hand, and maybe they’ll give you two bluebonnets to plant in your garden so then at least you would have more blue than pink
When I buy a plant that turns out not to be as labeled, I try to take it back. Though, in my case, it was a tree and it had been planted for five years and the nursery people just looked at me like I was nuts even though I had pictures, receipts and tags to show they had sold me a seedy ol’ sweet gum when I thought I was getting a seedless sweet gum. Big difference.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens (In two weeks, I’ll be in Austin!)
Oh, Pam – that brings back memories of our first spring here in 2000, when I filled deck containers with budded bluebonnet transplants and anxiously awaited my first glimpse of the famed Texas flower. What a disappointment when they turned out to be the demented Aggie version of bluebonnets, in loyal A & M Maroon. As Hank Hill would say – that flower ain’t right.
I’d probably dig up the pink one and tuck it in somewhere with other pinks and leave the two blue ones alone. I bought a few bluebonnets last week at Hill Country Nurseries on Pond Springs for about a dollar each and they’re blooming blue now.
Wrong color flowers usually get yanked and relocated in my garden… if they make it – good. If they don’t survive – too bad.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Oh! Leave them! They don’t match, but they are pretty…I would feel bad yanking them out- but then I have a hard time thinning my seedlings. They all deserve a chance to live 😉
Food color? They’re beautiful, I’ll take them here in a heartbeat but if they really bother you, hide them, move them or die them 🙂
I run into this problem often with cactus blooms. Many cactus species have flowers that can vary, and although cactus nurseries call out the flower color, more than occasionally they are wrong. Last year I spent a lot of money on a large specimen whose flower color was to be red. This particular species does have color variations in the flower, so there should have been no problem. Then, months later when it bloomed, it had yellow flowers. This meant the cactus had been mislabeled. Instead of a Strawberry Hedgehog, it was actually a Texas Rainbow Hedgehog. The nursery offered to take it back and give me another, but I didn’t have the heart to dig it up, so I just bought another Strawberry Hedgehog. It will soon bloom, and I’ll know if this one was labeld properly. This time, if the flower is not red, I won’t be buying from that nursery again!
Aiyana
Pam, I guess it’s depends on how much that bothers you. I would never dig up a healthy blooming plant for the reason of color only, but it’s your garden so do as you wish. It can safely be moved to another location, as Annie suggested, can’t it? Buying more blues to surround the oddball might enhance its difference, that’s the ticket, spend even more money! We fling visitors are going to love your garden no matter what, anyway. Now we will all be saying, where is that pink bluebonnet?
Frances
I’ve never been a fan of the maroon bluebonnets – but I think your pink one is just lovely! I once bought an entire flat of white impatience that turned out to be hot pink! It made me angry every time I walked outside – until they all filled in and look beautiful. Can you tell, my vote is to let them stay!
Well Pam I would probably snort, fuss and fume then leave the pink ones where they grow. They
will probably end up being the most hardy of the lot. Wish I could be there during Spring Fling
to fuss and fume over them with you.
I say leave ’em. They’ll make a great conversation piece. Only two weeks? I can’t wait to meet you, Pam. I feel like we’re friends already. Pink bonnets, yeah.~~Dee
Thanks for the advice on the pinkbonnets, everyone. The majority opinion seems to be to keep the pinkies, whether because they’re pretty in their own right, to pretend that I cleverly designed it this way on purpose, out of pity for the poor things, or—my favorite—for a funny conversational topic at the Fling. I came to the same conclusion this morning. In fact, if these pinkbonnets try to stop blooming before the Fling, I may have to pinch off some buds to keep them going longer so everyone can see the little misfits. —Pam
Pam, I also had this problem last year and it totally pissed me off! I love the blue too. So, I asked Mr. Smarty Plants at the Wildflower Center and this is what they said (which is good news):
ME: “In the fall, I bought a flat of Texas bluebonnets. They are blooming now, and it turns out they are actually maroon bluebonnets! Which is really too bad, because I want blue bluebonnets. Do you know if these maroon bluebonnets will revert back to wild-type blue over time or am I stuck with the maroon?”
WILDFLOWER CENTER: “Your maroon bluebonnets, AKA Alamo Fire, will revert back to the wild blue type in several generations if there is a pollen source of the wild Lupinus texensis (Texas lupine) nearby. If you have the patience and time you can speed the process along by hand pollinating the maroon flowers with pollen gathered on a toothpick from wild bluebonnets. If you take this approach, you have to make sure you beat the other pollinators to the punch (by punch, I mean stigma) by catching the maroon flowers right after anthesis (the period in time when a flower is reproductively mature). By the way, the maroon variety is the product of over twenty years of breeding and research by Dr. Jerry Parsons at, you guessed it, Texas A&M University. Click here to learn more about the Parson project.”
Thanks for the great information, Lee. It seems to be a common problem to get pink or maroon “blue”bonnets nowadays. I will let nature take its course and see what happens. —Pam
Enjoy your pastels! When given lemons make lemonade! They are lovely!
I’ve decided to give peace a chance, Layanee. I even pinched off the flowers today to see if I can prolong their bloom until the Spring Fling. —Pam
Pam, I understand your disappointment, but gosh, they’re pretty! I’d leave them!
That’s what I’ve decided to do, Kylee. I’ve got to show off the weird pinkbonnets to the Spring Flingers. —Pam
Dear Pam, you are teasing us, right? I know pink ones are not same as blue ones, but they are still lovely, right?
They’re all right, but I strongly prefer the blue. I’m a traditionalist at heart, perhaps. But I’m going to leave them anyway. —Pam
You have other pink beauties in your garden so these should fit in nicely. If you happen to be a regular customer of the nursery, complain and maybe they will give you a deep discount on the blue ones and you’ll be doubly blessed.
It’s true that the pinkbonnets do look pretty with the pink succulents nearby. But I intended the bluebonnets to contrast with the yellows in that bed. The best-laid plans of mice and men…and gardeners, right? I’m going to let the nursery off the hook, as these were just small pots and not a large shrub or tree. Plus Shoal Creek Nursery just gave us a generous donation for our Spring Fling door-prize giveaway, creating a lot of goodwill among the Austin garden bloggers who are planning the party. —Pam
Bluebonnets are beautiful especially their normal blue. That is very disappointing when you get blooms in a color you didn’t want. I’m not particular really picky about my colors and don’t have an issue making them work. I really like the pink bonnets. They look very interesting and different. I’m one for the interesting and different. What about the Maroon bonnets do you like those or tried those. I know you shouldn’t mess with what is good but I like variety and many colors. I’m a color whore. Maybe you will learn to love them. If not I would be glad to take them off your hands!
I’m not so wild about the maroon either, but maybe these pink ones will grow on me. —Pam
What do you do when you buy a plant that turns out to be mislabeled and blooms in a color you didn’t expect or particularly want?
For me, I’d let them bloom where they’re planted. Anything that’s thriving and colorful is perfect already, in my books. 🙂 Consider it like the small “mistakes” many quilters leave in a quilt block pattern…tiny imperfections that don’t take away from the overall beauty.
That’s a great analogy, Nancy. I’ll try to think of them in that way. —Pam
Well, I like odd things! You need to do whatever works for you, of course. I had to come over here from Annie’s to see the Bluebonnet that isn’t!
Isn’t it a hoot? —Pam