A Field of Dreams

The Texas Bluebonnet was adopted as the State Flower in 1901 despite State Representative John Nance Garner’s bid to have the prickly pear cactus adopted instead. While Garner went on to win the role of Vice President for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, he never lived down his famous campaigning for the prickly pear, earning him the long-standing nickname, “Cactus Jack.”

Texas went on to be the first ever state to plant their state flower along state highways under the direction of Jac Gubbels, who was hired as the first ever landscape architect in Texas in 1934. He issued rules that would prohibit mowing until spring and early summer to allow the wildflower to produce their now famous blooms. People travel from all over the country to take an inspiring drive every spring, especially through the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex where the flowers are most prominent.

The residents at Stevenson Oaks are also hoping to inspire passersby each spring as they recently gathered in the empty fields surrounding the community’s entrance to scatter bluebonnet seeds. As they waited patiently through the fall and winter months, they are eager to see if their field of dreams transforms into a field of wildflowers.

The flower is known to be quite hardy and favors full sunlight, so the chances are very good that this group’s hard work will soon pay off with an incredible front lawn full of beauty that can be enjoyed from their balcony view. For these residents, the dream of a field of bluebonnets is far better than a field of prickly pear cacti, although “Cactus Jack” might not agree.

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