“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

— William Blake



Motorists traveling on U.S. 31 North may be moved to poetic or philosophical reflections at the sight of wildflowers growing in the median, but they have a practical purpose: They keep the weeds down.

Athens Public Works Department employee Bernard Hammonds is in charge of the city’s wildflower planting program, which he began two years ago. Hammonds said Wednesday that he has not been as successful growing flowers on U.S. 31 South, but north of town the crimson clover is now in full bloom.

“They beautify the median and help out on the grass,” said Hammonds. “It cuts down on our tractor time because we can’t seem to make a complete revolution before the grass is grown up.”

In these days of skyrocketing gasoline prices, flowers are a beautiful alternative to operating gas-guzzling motorized implements to maintain medians.

Hammonds said he purchases seed from a local agriculture supply store, but he has also received seed from the state for the project.

Alabama first began a wildflower program in the 1960s and again in 1971 with very poor results, according to an Alabama Wildflower Advisory Committee Web site. In the late 1980s, along with public support and interest, the Department of Transportation began exploring ways to integrate wildflowers and native plants into the statewide vegetation management program.

After seeing the efforts of other southeastern states, ALDOT began a cooperative research effort with Auburn University’s Department of Agronomy. The focus of the study was to develop guidelines to encompass the use and preservation of wildflower species compatible with ALDOT’s vegetation management program and would add color to the state’s highway roadsides.

Funded through ALDOT, Alabama spends approximately $500,000 a year on wildflower and native plant enhancements along over 11,000 miles and 108,000 acres of highway roadside. Beginning in 1988, acreages have been increased and now there are approximately 700 acres of perennial wildflower plantings.

Hammonds uses a grain drill to plant the seeds in the fall of the year for spring blooming. He said they are perennials which do not have to be replanted yearly. Spring and early summer are the heaviest blooming seasons.

“After the end of July and into August the sun kills them,” said Hammonds. “But they come back the following year.”

Hammonds said he is receiving compliments for his efforts. “People are noticing them,” he said. “They say, ‘Those sure are some pretty flowers.’”

His wildflower-growing success comes as a surprise to Hammond.

“My parents had green thumbs, but it just skipped a generation with me,” he said. “Everything I took home from the store would wind up dying and I’d say, oh gosh, I’ve got a bad thumb.”