The Bright Side of Life

Year after year, Wildseed Farms has drawn visitors from all over to take a walk on the colorful bright side.

Wildseed Farms has served as ground zero for the development and “export” of the wildflower seed industry around the state.

The flower-filled business, located on U.S. 290 East at 100 Legacy Drive, is home to the largest family-owned wildflower farm in the United States. More than 200 acres at its headquarters are filled with color year-round as blooms beautify the roadside attraction. And the company has more than 1,000 acres of cultivated fields around the state.

Its founder and president is John R. Thomas, who has won local, state and national recognition for his contributions to land conservation and beautification. The business specializes in seeds for native plants that make the Hill Country pop year-round with color.

One large addition – acres, in fact – to its fields has been grapes. In fact, Thomas will soon be one of the largest growers of grapes in the area, adding significantly to Texas’ rising reputation for quality grapes and wines. Wildflowers of all shapes and colors, including Texas Bluebonnets, can be found throughout the grounds of Wildseed Farms. The site also has a butterfly garden, food, wine, beer and a giftshop.

Calendar

Wildseed Farms just hosted its annual Fall Festival on Sept. 25.

The facility will hold its annual Monarch Celebration from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9. Visitors can tag and track their own Monarch butterfly, which will be released into the wild to work its magic at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The event is free and no reservations are necessary.

Farm offerings

Visitors can explore walking trails, watch the farm staff work and take photos. In Pick Your Own fields, visitors can create custom bouquets.

Areas at Wildseed to visit are Blossom’s Boutique, Lantana’s Nursery, Brewbonnet Biergarten and The Meadows walking trail.

Plant and flower lovers can order seeds of individual species, regional mixes, varieties of cosmos, zinnias and sunflowers, along with native grasses and culinary herbs. There are also garden products and specialty foods. Their catalog features over 90 varieties of wildflowers, grasses, herbs and exotic garden variety seeds.

Wildseed Farms has been planting and harvesting wildflower crops for more than three decades in various parts of the Texas terrain, including the fields at Fredericksburg.

Open to the public daily, Wildseed Farms offers a lot more than the flowers these days, and invites the public to come on by and stay a while.

The farm offers a complimentary seed catalog to each visitor. Also a resource guide, the publication offers helpful planting tips and how-to’s.

Outside the store can be found one of the Hill Country’s largest selections of live plants and colorful imported pottery. Many of the native plants are featured in Wildseed Farms’ own landscape.

Staff members are available to make suggestions and help shoppers create their own version.

Live bands and musicians will be on The Plaza stage on Saturday afternoons seasonally.