Texas in Bloom, by Melody Hughes, Environmental Specialist, (512) 416-3084

Highway beautification is alive and well in Texas. it has flourished and sustained itself for over 60 years. In 1932, the Department hired its first landscape architect to maintain, preserve and encourage wildflowers and other native plants along the rights-of-way. By 1934, directives were issued to delay all mowing, unless essential for safety, until spring and early summer wildflower seasons were over. This practice has been in place since the '30s and has been expanded into a full-scale vegetation management system. A combination of selective mowing and herbicide application, wildflower preservation and propagation, landscaping and public awareness drives the highway beautification program.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) strives for a balance in maintenance and management of Texas highways. Maintenance techniques used to encourage wildflower growth include safety, or strip mowing which allows the wildflowers to bloom and allows native grasses to emerge. Directives to mow around blooming wildflower areas are included in our mowing contracts. The use of herbicides to eliminate noxious weeds such as johnsongrass allows the wildflowers to be visible.

TxDOT purchases and sows statewide approximately 60,000 pounds of wildflower seed (annuals and perennials). The 60,000 pounds are used annually in native and non-native plantings in new construction and annual replacement sites. In the past, wildflower areas were cut after the peak blooming season and before the seeds dropped. The "flower hay" was raked up and spread where the Department wanted to establish or enhance wildflower populations. Another method used for wildflower cultivation involves carefully blading a thin layer of topsoil containing wildflower seeds and spreading the soil in a new location. Both of these methods are in use today and help to protect and spread native remnants.

The peak wildflower blooming season draws tourists from all across the nation to see the color unfold each spring. Our public awareness efforts include "Wildflowers of Texas" brochures, a wildflower manual, and wildflower presentations to interested groups. A wildflower hotline, starting in March of every year, which advises the public on the best wildflower viewing areas. In addition, in 1998, the Department's "Don't Mess with Texas" litter prevention campaign made its first foray into outdoor advertising. Billboards with the slogan "Landscape by Nature ... litter by us." The billboards were designed to depict the natural beauty of Texas and drive home the message that litter destroys a beautiful landscape. They are rotated to different locations throughout the State and to various locations within each city that is chosen.

The wildflower and vegetation management program is part of good stewardship. Today, TxDOT not only plants and enhances wildflower areas, but more importantly, protects and maintains the investment made in years past.