Indian Paintbrush Seeds, 2,500 to 20,000, 2023 Harvest - Free Shipping

Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) is one of the most dramatic wildflowers that can be seen blooming each year across Texas and in portions of Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Their red to reddish-orange color make them an unmistakable part of the spring landscape.

Also known as Texas Paintbrush, Entireleaf Indian Paintbrush and Scarlet Paintbrush, these plants may be grown in many areas of the United States. The seeds offered in this listing were gathered from flowers growing on our Texas ranch in the spring of 2023. All of our paintbrush seeds are harvested by hand, from seed pods that have matured and opened naturally on the plants. To help ensure quality and diversity, we do not make these available until a minimum of 250,000 tiny seeds have been gathered from our fields.

There is one important fact that most seed companies and other sellers of paintbrush seeds do not publicize: Paintbrush seeds will not produce plants that flower when grown alone.

Shortly after germination, the roots of the paintbrush seek out the roots of a compatible host plant. Once located, the paintbrush roots attach themselves to the host to gather additional water and nutrients. If a host plant is not found, the paintbrush will fail to mature and will die.

Because of this, we include a proportional number of host plant seeds with every order. These are gathered from several different grasses that we know Texas Paintbrush will accept and are packaged separately from the paintbrush seeds.

Although the paintbrush seeds my be planted at any time between spring and fall, the host plants are easier to establish during spring.

Every order will also include detailed planting and growing instructions. We have studied Texas paintbrush for more than a decade and we are happy to share the information we have learned over the years. Growing these wildflowers can be challenging, even when attempting to do so in their native areas, however we believe that the seeds and tools that we offer will provide the greatest opportunity for those wanting to start a paintbrush patch of their own.

We have now added a bulk paintbrush only option to this listing. This should only be ordered by those that are trying to increase the size of an existing paintbrush area and know that host plants are already present. Each order will contain one seed pack containing 20,000 paintbrush seeds.

Unless the bulk paintbrush only option is chosen, the paintbrush seeds will arrive in packs of 2,500, and each host plant seed pack will compliment a paintbrush seed pack. We suggest a planting rate of 2,500 paintbrush seeds/50 square feet.

We have received feedback over the years suggesting that those located in the following states and regions may need to plant these seeds in a protected area or planter to provide a suitable growing environment: Delaware, Southern Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, the eastern half of Louisiana, Maryland, Southern Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

Shipping to any address within the United States, with the exception of those located in the state of California is included in the listing prices. We cannot ship these seeds to destinations within California or to those outside of the United States.