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, Continued from page 12 MINNESOTA. State of Minnesota. Department of Transportation. Paul Walvatne, Forester. ton, Virginia, notes that since parks are The Minnesota Department of Transportation has 230,000 acres to designed around nature anyway the most energy-conserving strategy for parks in maintain. Our first project planting wildflowers was in 1975 although the ground- `OIVCS using nature to the greatest eaten work was set up the year before. The soil was tilled the previous summer feasible. Because native plants are adapted to existing conditions using them greatly and again in the spring. The wildflower seed was provided by the garden reduces energy consumption clubs, grass seeds were provided by the Department of Transportation,and The natural look has its place in resort the planting was done by a private contractor using a Truax drill. This was areas, too. All over the country landscape a 3-acre lot, a dry site. architects,designers,and planners are find- We had fairly good success with the grasses and the Black-eyed Su- ing that wildflowers save on maintenance sans did the best of the wildflowers. From our experience we have good while tying in beautifully with the rustic results sowing grasses from seed but the flowers are touchy. atmosphere they are promoting.The people In 1979 we had seedling plants planted by a contractor. That year we who come out from the city and enjoy pick- had unusually dry sets of days in the late fall and early spring. Only 14% ing the wildflowers don't know that wild- of the plants survived. The contractor replaced them and we learned that flowers were often used as a last resort be cause conventional landscaping materials I plants may need help until they are established. could not survive. It is hard to overcome the feeling that short clipped grass is good. Susan winemilter, Landscape Supervi- Maintenance men are beginning to go with native grasses and wildflowers. sor at Tan-Tar-A Mariott Resort in Missouri Some are even finding areas of wildflowers and transplanting clumps. near the Lake of the Ozarks, is enthusiastic Even older people are learning to appreciate native plants. When we about wildflowers. "we had two challeng- first started growing wildflowers my wife's family from Illinois thought the ing areas. One difficult area was a rocky roadsides looked unkempt. This year they told me how good they looked. slope along our i,-mile entrance road from It is becoming routine to include prairie wildflowers and grasses in plantings. the main road to the hotel where nothing Using wildflowers is just plain economics. It cuts back on mowing and else would grow. We had planted crabap- encourages wildlife.60%of the pheasants in Minnesota come from roadside pies and pines but they all died. Two years ago we planted 10 different kinds of wild- habitats. Less mowing with more wildflowers and grasses and selective brush flowers and now people like to walk down the road to the stables through the wild- management is the way to go. flowers. Next year we will be putting up a split-rail fence and cutting some windows NEBRASKA. Nebraska Department of Roads. Richard W. Gray, Jr. through the woods on the side of the road When I started working with the Nebraska Department of Roads in so that guests will be able to look over the 1963 it struck me that the manicured look didn't fit and was a waste of wildflowers through the trees and see our money. beautiful golf course." We felt there had to be a better way so we started seeding the median me other challenge, she continues, was ditch— strips and shoulders with a mix of short grass and planting tall grassesat"abad area—rocky,with a drainage h- beyond. In 1968 we went from continuous mowingto three times ayear. ing the back of the 8-story we edt t where nwith worked until filled the spot with We mow the median strip and 15' off the shoulder. In some median stripsw;wflowers. They look great, especially we have Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) mowed to two inches and when looking down from above, and our it's blooming its fool head off. On rotation we mow everything out every four guests just love to pick the flowers. Which to five years. This provides litter control, bush control, and gives us an is line since the more you pick the more opportunity to examine the right-of-way. you have_" Wildflowers are a very cheap way of landscaping. Wildflower seed wllditower—Chancnges t costs $15–$25 a pound. A single tree is much more expensive, requires Using wildflowers is not an instant so- more care in planting, and a lot of spraying and praying to keep away the lotion to every problem. borers and the firewood harvesters. "We had a bad experience," says Paul We started planting wildflowers in 1975. We used upright prairie co- van der l-forst, Landscape Architect at neflower (Ratibida columnifera) because it was available and Dame's Georgia Tech at Atlanta, Georgia. "Last Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) because it was quick, made a show, and held year we planted a large area with wildflow- the place until other wildflowers took over. ers in the school colors near the student When we were mowing on a continuous basis we used 13 people: 1 athletic hews. It was probably not the qual- foreman, 1 gas jockey, and 11 people mowing continuously.Today we have ity of the seed but our problem with our contractor. If you arc a state institution you 3 people on 15' batwing mowers who gas their own vehicles and do main have to ask for bids and take the low one. tenance.work in their spare time. We were supposed to plant in May but we Using wildflowers and other native materials has freed up men and didn't plant until fall. We had a dry spell equipment. However, people should understand that the rates of success and the soil moisture was not high enough vary and more research needs to be done. Nevertheless, we get no hate for germination and early growth.You nerd mail and lots of people keep calling us for information. Continued on page 27 NatureScape September 19$14 at