Junior Master Gardeners Plant Wildflower Meadow

On Saturday, November 7th, Junior Master Gardeners and other volunteers planted wildflower seeds in the roadside right-of-way at the intersection of Shadeville and Bloxham Cutoff roads and the St. Marks Bike Trail in Wakulla Station.  This is the first of several traffic triangles slated to become wildflower meadows.

The county’s Public Works Department proposed the project to beautify and improve safety at traffic intersections.  The intersection at Wakulla Station had generated many complaints about vehicles parking in the right-of-way and obstructing vision.  Cars pulling on and off the right-of-way further contributed to traffic hazards.  Planting a beautiful wildflower meadow at this site will help to assure that vehicles park in safer places.  The flowers also will improve the area’s appearance and reduce mowing requirements.

Wildflower experts Lee Norris and Jeff Norcini helped to select the proper wildflower seeds for this location.  They also provided advice about site preparation and supervised the planting on Saturday.

Participating Junior Master Gardeners included Rebecca Kelley, Katherine Sullivan, Daniel Sullivan, Eulalia Saly, Chayton Bussey, and Caylie Bussey.  They performed this community service under the watchful eye of Wanda Murray, parent leader for the 4-H group, and parents Karen Kelley, Sue Sullivan, Karen Saly, and Allison Bussey.

Joining the Junior Master Gardeners at work were Jeannie Brodhead, President of the Iris Garden Club, and several volunteers from the county’s public works department – Brent Pell, John Timbs, and Mike King.

ESG, the contractor for Wakulla County Public Works, purchased Florida ecotype seeds from Florida's Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association and generously donated the seeds for the project.  The traffic triangle in Medart will be planted with wildflower seeds later this fall.

Meadow seed mixed with sand		Sowing meadow mix by hand
Sowing Coreopsis seeds by spreader		Pressing seeds into soil with roller

First 2 photos courtesy of Sue Sullivan

Last 4 photos courtesy of Jeff Norcini

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.

This article originally published on November 9, 2009.

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Written by :

mkwestmark

 

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