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<br /> mrOtt ' 4 1 Continued from page 11
<br /> A roughs, and the wild golfers arc struck
<br /> \,„1 dumb by the beauty of the wild flowers.• "
<br /> \ , At the Tournament Players Club near
<br /> Jacksonville, Florida, which was designed
<br /> by Pete Dye who believes in natural roughs,
<br /> 1
<br /> ..�• ;: e the overall response has been tremendous.
<br /> r °'" ,t People appreciate the contrast between the
<br /> � rat
<br /> > green picture-perfect islands of grass, and
<br /> x ,i, the natural surroundings. Dye has found
<br /> tit ; r ; that almost every area of the country has
<br /> T -'•• _ ) 4 ., - some kind of native grass or groundcover
<br /> ;r } _.•" that will serve as waste areas and still allow
<br /> i .��, enough visibility to find a golf ball.
<br /> . •• ... In.7- r ^A ` : r II , 4". • , ' , A lot of golf course superintendents arc
<br /> �, �F! .` 3" Ii% Ail ) . ' - u ""!' '�--• "' • r�'... . + giving wildflowers serious thought," says
<br /> ,� ''',!$'..�• !`'...VIN+� t' • „1;" p <,p , mi'I i' t: t. • .,.4 Marie Pompci of Lofts. —They want to cut
<br /> ���• �" ",:� • .... down on the mowing. They are daring to
<br /> iiP '`'4.; ,y consider breaking up monotony with
<br /> beauty.'
<br /> F Ron Iverson of Iverson's Living Envi-
<br /> ronments is getting one or two calls a day
<br /> / ' `'
<br /> . ' g from golf course superintendents. "Mem-
<br /> ,,` 1 �t' . - / �i ` 8
<br /> bets want a beautiful course and they want
<br /> . ' t • a maintenance costs to stay within the budget.
<br /> •.•4 rr' ' _ Using wildflowers superintendents can
<br /> f j <
<br /> e'',, ?l , ' , . ,r' 1 'j • 4' , ,rt',•'' .. beautify economically and have more money
<br /> '• 1 ,s,„1tt•' '11
<br /> r t. .1. t w- for maintenance of other areas."
<br /> T'4 1"4 r ) ,. 1 Wildflowers—The Natural Look
<br /> 1 1,;;�:•;., About the time of the bicentennial a num-
<br /> ` .f ,, �„ ,,,,, ^, , , a ber of individuals started declaring their
<br /> `•� ••., ,y •i ”' • " t •� '� • i independence from the tyranny of conven-
<br /> .,•, • • 'tet• • ,t` tional landscaping and took up the cause
<br /> :':4• , r Jr�/ . l
<br /> �#� `= ter;" 1 �. + 5
<br /> for alternatives to the bluegrass lawn. A
<br /> Wildflower planting around home in Long Grove, Illinois growing number of individuals felt that
<br /> growing lawns in a desert made as much
<br /> sense as growing cactus gardens in Con-
<br /> necticut.
<br /> NEW MEXICO. New Mexico State Highway Department. Roadside In 1976 Donald Hagar, a U.S. f=orest
<br /> Environmental Design Unit. Service biologist of New Berlin, Wiscon-
<br /> Mel Fleig, Chief Landscape Architect, and Gil Berry, Landscape sin,was taken to court because he permitted
<br /> Architect. part of his 2'/_ acre lot to revert to natural
<br /> In 1965 we entered into a cooperative agreement with the Soil Con- growth. As a result of the ensuing court
<br /> servation Service to select and develop plant materials for erosion control action the New Berlin ordinance was de
<br /> clared unconstitutional and the judge noted
<br /> and the enhancement of the right-of-way. One of the wildflowers they de- that the expert testimony presented had dis-
<br /> veloped is a variety of Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictusposed of the arguments about health haz-
<br /> 'Bandera') whose seed is now being produced commercially. ards and property depreciation that had
<br /> Our unit does all revegetation work and some reclamation. We have been brought by the city against Hagar's
<br /> developed some pretty fair natural landscapes in scenic overlooks, rest natural landscape.
<br /> areas, information areas, and historic spots. In 1977 a number of homeowners around
<br /> We have developed some wildflower information materials with the the country challenged ordinances that sup-
<br /> New Mexico State University at Las Cruces. ported the manicured lawn as the only al-
<br /> We work with local beautification committees. New Mexico is their state, ternative in urban and suburban landscapes.
<br /> too, and we find their input valuable. When we get their input we know they Today lawn-laws arc dead and individuals
<br /> care and are interested. can have choices: a beautiful, well-kept
<br /> lawn,an alternate form whose subtle beauty
<br /> Since new plants need water until they are established we work closely many arc learning to appreciate, or a corn-
<br /> 0 with community groups who water and maintain the plants. bination of the two.
<br /> One of the exciting things that has happened is that there are now There is a growing feeling that it is all
<br /> commercial producers making seeds and plants available. Ten years'ago right for nature to be natural. Gary 0. Ro-
<br /> there was only native-dug material. Now we can bu'; :eds and plants and binctte of the Environmental Press in Res-
<br /> don't have to live with rockscapes all the time.
<br /> • Continued on page 14
<br /> 12 NatureScape September 1981
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