Maine DOT shows it has green thumb Flowers in median play aesthetic, safety roles

Miniature fields of bright red, yellow, pink and blue flowers don’t normally come to mind when you think of road work done by the Maine Department of Transportation.

But it turns out the DOT does have a green thumb and has for some time.

Take a ride along Route 202 in Hampden, the three-quarters of a mile between Coldbrook Road and Western Avenue, and you’ll see a sample of the department’s handiwork. Seeded last fall, the medians sandwiched between the dull gray lanes have sprouted color, and lots of it.

Cosmos, California poppies, larkspur and bachelor’s buttons all vie for living space on these small islands of green and for the attention of passers-by.

Eye-catching as they are, these patches of color have a very real purpose.

Bob Moosmann, senior landscaping architect with the DOT, said that along some roads and state highways it can be difficult, if not dangerous, to mow. Automobiles could go off the road and hit mowers, or clip mowers that have moved too close to the road or off the median.

Concerned about these safety issues, the state came up with a plan that is both safety conscious for workers and environmentally friendly.

Call it flower power.

The idea is simple but effective: Replace grass with flowers and watch as nature takes over. As the annual flowers take root and expand or are replaced by longer-lasting flowers through succession, the medians stay green but don’t need to be mowed, and brush along the side of the road is curbed.

Not only do the flowers reduce the risks to workers, they mean less pollution and fossil fuel used because the mowers aren’t being operated.

Last fall, the state removed all the grass in the Route 202 medians with an herbicide. Weeks later, near Thanksgiving, they hydroseeded the islands, spraying a mixture of wildflower seeds and fertilizer.

Sometimes it’s a struggle to get them to grow, Moosmann acknowledged. Last fall was the second attempt, according to Moosmann, who said efforts the year before didn’t take root as intended.

But as in other places in the state where the wildflowers have been planted, persistence paid off. Flowers are blooming in Hampden as well as Damariscotta, Houlton and Caribou, about a half-dozen places in all in the state.

Over time, the annuals present now will be replaced as nature takes its course and perennials such as crown vetch, with its round, button-shaped pink and white flowers, take over. Also in the mix are black-eyed Susans and lupine.

Annual wildflowers take root and grow faster, providing stability to the land where the herbicide has left the ground bare and susceptible to erosion, Moosmann said. They add a quick flourish of color to the otherwise stark surroundings.

Moosmann said the state has been working on its sustainable vegetation program for almost 20 years, planting perennials such as lupine, black-eyed Susans and crown vetch along the sides of highways up and down Maine, restraining grass and brush. The annual wildflowers have been planted for about six years.

Funding for the two projects comes from a mixture of federal and state money, with the federal government providing 80 percent of the funding and the state the remaining 20 percent. Moosmann said the wildflower program costs a total of about $20,000 per year, and the sustainable vegetation between $20,000 and $40,000 per year.