Georgia Magazine - June 2023 - 32

GDOT's Wildfl ower Program
took root as a way to provide eye-popping color
for motorists and blooms for pollinators, as shown in
this roadside display along Interstate 285 near Tucker.
Continued from page 31
Wildflowers thrive where there is plenty of sunshine and
soil that drains well-conditions that make Georgia's hundreds
of miles of highway medians and shoulders the perfect spots for
these plantings. The GDOT Wildflower Program took root as a
way to break up the sea of asphalt and create calming, colorful
flower beds throughout the state, and it is still flourishing today.
Sowing the seeds
The seeds of the state's Wildflower Program were sown
in the mid-1970s by Virginia Hand Callaway of Pelham, who
became a nationally acclaimed conservationist, educator,
horticulturist and philanthropist. In Georgia, she is best known
for co-founding Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain with her
husband, Cason.
Callaway spearheaded the movement to plant and protect
wildflowers on the roadsides while serving on the Birds and
Wildflowers Committee of the Garden Club of Georgia (GCG)
in 1974.
" Mrs. Callaway approached Rosalynn Carter, who was first
lady of Georgia at the time, and talked to her about creating a
wildflower program similar to the one in Texas, " DeGrace says.
" They traveled to Texas, worked with [former U.S. first lady]
Lady Bird Johnson and learned everything they could. "
After the trip, Carter and several GCG members presented
their ideas to GDOT Commissioner Downing Musgrove, who
endorsed the program.
" By the late 1990s, the Garden Club of Georgia was working
with GDOT to promote the seeding of annuals and perennials
to beautify roadsides around the state, " DeGrace says. " The
program really took off in 1999, when Georgia approved sales of
its special wildflower license tags. "
For a $35 annual fee, motorists can choose between two
tag designs: one showcasing a purple coneflower and the other
featuring a black-eyed Susan. Proceeds go into the Roadside
32 Georgia Magazine June 2023
Christopher DeGrace, a landscape architect in charge of the
Wildfl ower Program, says that GDOT plants several showy
daff odil varieties that do well in the Deep South.
Enhancement and Beautification Fund dedicated to the
Wildflower Program.
" It takes a lot of money to pay for the program, but in the
end, it's well worth it, " DeGrace notes. " It takes a team of hardworking
people around the state to make the program work,
and not just DOT employees and contractors. We partner with
communities across Georgia, foundations, garden clubs and
Keep Georgia Beautiful [KGB] affiliates. "
Planting pride
For several years, Jennifer Beason has worked with Keep
Calhoun Gordon Beautiful (KCGB), a KGB affiliate focusing on
litter prevention, waste reduction and beautification projects in
northwest Georgia.
" Beyond hosting community recycling events and giving
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Georgia Magazine - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2023
