Painting a Pasture

by Lydia Holley April 6, 2020

I drove down the road. Usually, there is nothing unusual in that sentence, but this time I had not gone past my front gate for over a week. What greeted me was pure wonder. The pastures were alive with color and life. More masterful than Monet, nature had painted the landscape in colorful wildflowers.

Bluebonnets, a cultural icon of Texans, decorated the scene in bright blue bliss. Bold and daring, Texas groundsel popped up in an avant-garde manner, its golden flowers a bit too bright. Purple vetch lent an illusion of loveliness. Gorgeous from afar, this weed is a nuisance when near.

It took a second look to see Texas toadflax mingling throughout the scene, its pastel shade of violet fading into the background. Spots of the ruby-colored crimson clover spread over the panoramic view, while Indian paintbrushes covered the canvas in broad strokes of color.

There is a legend about a young native boy needing red to complete his painting of the sunset. The Great Spirit provided paintbrushes of red. When the boy’s painting was finished, he sprinkled the brushes across the earth, and Indian paintbrushes began to bloom.

If you look closely, you realize the red portion of Indian paintbrushes are its leaves, or bracts, not petals. If you want to grow these flowers, they are best grown from seed as they are hard to transplant. The reason for this is because of its root system. Indian paintbrushes are symbiotic, its roots growing down and using the nutrients of the roots from other plants. Although it is a parasite to other plants, Indian paintbrushes will not harm the host, and they are able to grow without one. The ones that tap into a host, however, will be larger, and the host plant smaller.

Be discriminating when choosing Indian paintbrush seed for your landscape. Castilleja coccinea is the most common type of Indian paintbrush seed available. This variety is native from Canada down into eastern Oklahoma and Louisiana, but not Texas. Castilleja indivisa is the East Texas native, and preferred for this area.

Some say either the paintbrushes will dominate the landscape or the bluebonnets will, but both will not be outstanding in the same year. Consider planting both. Then marvel at the way they paint your pastures each spring.

For more information, call 903-675-6130, email [email protected].