Natives from the Edwards Plateau: Wildseed Farms, Fredericksburg

Last weekend we went to Fredericksburg to celebrate my daughter's birthday. On the drive from Austin on HWY 290 we stopped at Wildseed Farms, 7 miles east of downtown Fredericksburg. We were delighted to find it having it's best spring blooming season that I've ever seen. Wildseed Farms is the largest working wildflower seed production farm in the US and a big tourist destination (Yup, even bus-loads of flower-lovers come here). The display gardens, trial plots and flower fields are stunning this year. If the photos below of the red corn flowers look like their glowing, it's because they actually look that brilliant in person. We also enjoyed the outdoor seating area surrounded by show gardens and the nursery, while eating tasty frozen snacks. The homemade soft serve peach ice-cream is a must. And yes there is a gift shop, actually three, that sell more than just the wildflower seeds.