WILDFLOWERS - NCDOT

1 WILDFLOWERSon North Carolina RoadsidesNorth Carolina Department of TransportationRoadside Environmental UnitRocket LarkspurThe North Carolina Department of Transportation Wildflower Program began in 1985 as an integral part of highway beautification. Twelve acres were sown during the first year of production. Today, wildflower beds are installed and maintained across the state by Roadside Environmental personnel in each of the fourteen highway divisions. This booklet is intended as a reference to identify the WILDFLOWERS planted by NCDOT , as well as some of the naturally occurring ones growing along North Carolina highways. Both botanical and common names are listed on the following pages. Photographs with descriptions and planting information are arranged alphabetically. This guide also contains the installation techniques used by Roadside Environmental personnel, as well as instructions for planting your own WILDFLOWERS at home. We hope this booklet will be useful as you drive along our highways and in your own wildflower gardening endeavors.

2 Remember, for your own safety, do not stop and pick the WILDFLOWERS . Please leave them for everyone to enjoy!QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE WILDFLOWER PROGRAM Former First Lady Dottie Martin (pictured to the left), wife of former Gov. Jim Martin, is credited with initiating the idea for the program after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal about wildflower beds in Texas. Tourism in North Carolina provides $18 billion to the state s economy annually. Since most visitors arrive by vehicle, the Wildflower Program plays a particularly important role in making the state an appealing destination. The program is one of NCDOT s most popular initiatives, and receives hundreds of comments of praise each year from residents and visitors alike. Today s Wildflower Program consists of one-third of each annuals, perennials and native WILDFLOWERS . The native species planted each year along state roadsides include Clasping Coneflower (Rudbeckia amplexicaulis), Bur-Marigold (Bidens aristosa), Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani), to name a few.

3 WILDFLOWERS serve as sources of nectar for pollinator species including bees, butterflies and moths. (See page 33 for more on pollinators.) The Garden Club of North Carolina is the lead sponsor of the Wildflower Program. Other important partners include State University and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer NAMECOMMON NAMEB utter and Eggs ..19 Butterfly Weed ..1 California ..9 Campion ..26 Cardinal Flower ..20 Carolina Bush Pea ..28 Carolina Lily ..19 Carolina Lupine ..28 Carolina Phlox ..23 Catchfly ..26 Catfoot ..14 Chicory ..8 Clasping Coneflower ..24 Common Clematis ..8 Common Goldenrod ..27 Common Sunflower ..15 Common Toadflax ..19 Cornflower ..4 Corn Poppy ..23 Cosmos ..9 Dame s Rocket ..16 Dark-Eyed Sunflower ..15 Dense Blazing Star ..18 Drummond Phlox ..23, 24 Evening Primrose ..22 Fire Pink ..27 Firewheels ..13 Flanders Poppy ..23 Frost Aster ..3 Garden Coreopsis ..9 Garland Chrysanthemum ..6 Gerardia ..1 Globe Gilia ..13 Gloriosa Daisy ..25 Golden Star.

4 7 Great Blue Lobelia ..20 Green and Gold ..7 Green Coneflower ..25 Indian Blanket ..13 Indian Paintbrush ..4 Indian Pink ..27 Ironweed ..29 Joe-Pye-Weed ..12 Lance-Leaved Coreopsis ..9 Lemon Mint ..21 Lespedeza ..18 Little Black-Eyed Susan ..24 Marsh Mallow ..17 Maryland Golden Aster ..7 Maximilian Sunflower ..16 Milfoil ..1 Mistflower ..12 Mixed Poppy ..26 Mountain Garland ..8 Narrow-Leaved Sunflower ..15 New England Aster ..2 Nodding Catchfly ..26 Obedient Plant ..11 Orange Daylily ..16 Oswego Tea ..21Ox-Eye Daisy ..6 Painted Daisy ..5 Partridge Pea ..4 Plains Coreopsis ..9 Pleurisy Root ..1 Purple Coneflower ..11 Purple Horse Mint ..21 Queen Anne s Lace ..10 Queen-of-the-Meadow ..12 Rabbit Tobacco ..14 Red Poppy ..23 Rocket Larkspur ..10 Rose Mallow ..18 Rough-Leaved Goldenrod ..28 Scarlet Flax ..20 Scarlet Paint-Cup ..4 Seashore Mallow ..17 Shasta Daisy ..6 Shirley Poppy ..22 Showy Wall Flower ..5 Smooth Coneflower ..11 Snakehead ..5 Spiked Gayfeather ..18 Spurred Snapdragon.

5 19 Sulphur Cosmos ..10 Sundrops ..22 Swamp Milkweed ..2 Swamp Rose Mallow ..17 Swamp Pea ..17 Sweet William Catchfly ..26 Tansy ..28 Thoroughwort ..13 Tickseed ..3, 9 Toadflax ..19 Tree Mallow ..18 Tri-Color Chrysanthemum ..5 Turtlehead ..5 Virgin s Bower ..8 White Wood Aster ..2 Wild Blue Aster ..3 Wild Carrot ..10 Wild Cotton ..17 Wild Golden Glow ..25 Wild Scarlet Sage ..26 Wild Snapdragon ..19 Wild Sunflower ..15 Wingstem ..29 Yarrow ..1 Yellow Crown-Beard ..29 Yellow Ironweed ..29 Yellow Wingstem ..29 Aaron s Rod ..28 Ageratum ..12 Annual Gaillardia ..13 Annual Phlox ..23, 24 Baby Blue Eyes ..21 Baby Snapdragon ..19 Bachelor s Button ..4 Bee Balm ..21 Beggar Sneeze Weed ..14 Bird s Eyes ..14 Black-Eyed Susan ..25 Blue Boneset ..12 Blue Cardinal Flower ..20 Blue-Eyed Grass ..27 Blue Sailors ..8 Blue Thimble Flower ..13 Bur-Marigold ..3 Achillea millefolium ..1 Agalinis purpurea ..1 Asclepias incarnata ..1 Asclepias tuberosa ..2 Aster divaricatus ..2 Aster grandiflorus.

6 2 Aster novae-angliae ..3 Aster pilosus ..3 Bidens aristosa ..3 Cassia fasciculata ..4 Castilleja coccinea ..4 Centaurea cyanus ..4 Cheiranthus allionii ..5 Chelone coronarium ..6 Chrysanthemum maximum ..6 Chrysogonum virginianum ..7 Chrysopsis graminifolia ..7 Chrysopsis intybus ..8 Clarkia unguiculata ..8 Clematis virginiana ..8 Coreopsis lanceolata ..9 Coreopsis tinctoria ..9 Cosmos bipinnatus ..9 Cosmos sulphureus ..10 Daucus carota ..10 Delphinium ajacis ..10 Dracocephalum laevigata ..11 Echinacea purpurea ..11 Erysimum hieraciifolium ..5 Eschscholzia californica ..12 Eupatorium coelestinum ..12 Eupatorium fistulosum ..12 Eupatorium hyssopifolium ..13 Gaillardia pulchella ..13 Gilia capitata ..13 Gilia tricolor ..14 Gnaphalium obtusifolium ..14 Helenium amarum ..14 Helianthus angustifolius ..15 Helianthus annuus ..15 Helianthus atrorubens ..15 Helianthus maximiliani ..16 Hemerocallis fulva ..16 Hesperis matronalis ..16 Hibiscus moscheutos ..17 Kosteletzkya virginica.

7 17 Lathyrus latifolius ..17 Lavatera trimestris ..18 Lespedeza bicolor Natob ..18 Liatris spicata ..18 Lilium michauxii ..19 Linaria maroccana ..19 Linaria vulgaris ..19 Linum grandiflorum rubrum ..20 Lobelia cardinalis ..20 Lobelia siphilitica ..20 Monarda citriodora ..21 Monarda didyma ..21 Nemopila insignis ..21 Oenothera fruiticosa ..22 Oenothera lamarckiana ..22 Papaver rhoeas ..22, 23 Phlox carolina ..23 Phlox drummondii ..23, 24 Rudbeckia amplexicaulis ..24 Rudbeckia fulgida ..24 Rudbeckia hirta ..25 Rudbeckia hirta Gloriosa ..25 Rudbeckia laciniata ..25 Salvia coccinea ..26 Silene armeria ..26 Silene pendula ..26 Silene virginica ..27 Sisyrinchium bellum ..27 Solidago nemoralis ..27 Solidago rugosa ..28 Tanacetum vulgare ..28 Thermopsis villosa ..28 Verbesina alternifolia ..29 Verbesina occidentalis ..29 Vernonia Poppy, Red Poppy, Cornflower and Ox-Eye Daisy mixGenus and Species: Achillea millefoliumFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: Yarrow, MilfoilHabit: perennial, reseedsHeight: 2 feetFlower Color: whiteNative To: EuropeRange: throughout temperate North AmericaBlooming Period: May JulyWater Requirement: low, drought tolerantSoil Type: light, rich or sterileExposure: full sunSeed Count: 2,770,000 Rate: 1 : very competitive; controls soil erosion.

8 Foliage has pleasant smell when crushed Genus and Species: Agalinis purpureaFamily: ScrophulariaceaeCommon Name: Gerardia Habit: annualHeight: 2 3 feetFlower Color: rose-lavender, rarely whiteNative To: eastern United StatesRange: throughout North Carolina Blooming Period: August frostWater Requirement: moderateSoil Type: moistExposure: full sun Seed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: N/AMiscellaneous: semi-parasitic on the roots of grassesGenus and Species: Asclepias incarnataFamily: AsclepiadaceaeCommon Name: Swamp MilkweedHabit: perennialHeight: 2 4 feetFlower Color: pinkNative To: North America Range: Nova Scotia south to Florida; west to UtahBlooming Period: July September Water Requirement: low to highSoil Type: will tolerate poorly-drained soilExposure: full sun Seed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: N/AMiscellaneous: there are 1,900 species of milkweeds; attracts birds and butterflies1 Genus and Species: Asclepias tuberosaFamily: AsclepiadaceaeCommon Name: Butterfly Weed, Pleurisy RootHabit: hardy, long-lived perennialHeight: 12 36 inchesFlower Color: orangeNative To: North AmericaRange: all regions of United StatesBlooming Period: June SeptemberWater Requirement: lowSoil Type: requires well-drained soil, sandy, neutral or slightly acidicExposure: full sunSeed Count: 87,000 Rate: 10 : produces large quantities of nectar throughout blooming period which attracts butterflies.

9 Takes up to two years to become establishedGenus and Species: Aster divaricatusFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: White Wood AsterHabit: perennialHeight: 1 3 feetFlower Color: white with yellow or red centerNative To: North AmericaRange: West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and AlabamaBlooming Period: July OctoberWater Requirement: low to moderateSoil Type: average to poorExposure: full sunSeed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: N/AMiscellaneous: attracts birds and butterfliesGenus and Species: Aster grandiflorusFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: Wild Blue AsterHabit: perennialHeight: 2 5 feetFlower Color: blueNative To: North AmericaRange: lower Piedmont of North Carolina to VirginiaBlooming Period: September OctoberWater Requirement: low to moderateSoil Type: poor to averageExposure: sun to partial shadeSeed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: N/A Miscellaneous: there are more than 150 species of asters in North America; attracts birds and butterflies Genus and Species: Aster novae-angliaeFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: New England AsterHabit: perennial, reseedsHeight: 3 3 feetFlower Color: blue to purple to whiteNative To: United StatesRange: southern Canada south to western North Carolina and westwardBlooming Period: August frostWater Requirement: low to moderate Soil Type: heavy or lightExposure: full sunSeed Count:1,305,000 Rate: 2 : one of the showiest wild asters; tends to become bushy; attracts birds and butterflies.

10 Plants need to be divided every two to three yearsGenus and Species: Aster pilosusFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: Frost AsterHabit: perennialHeight: 1 4 feetFlower Color: white, rarely lavenderNative To: North AmericaRange: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama and MississippiBlooming Period: September NovemberWater Requirement: lowSoil Type: average garden soilExposure: full sunSeed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: N/AMiscellaneous: attracts birds and butterfliesGenus and Species: Bidens aristosaFamily: AsteraceaeCommon Name: Bur-Marigold, Tickseed, Beggar TicksHabit: annualHeight: 1 5 feetFlower Color: yellowNative To: New England south to North Carolina; west to Texas; north to Missouri and MinnesotaRange: Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Texas to OklahomaBlooming Period: August frostWater Requirement: moderate to highSoil Type: average garden soil Exposure: sun, open shadeSeed Count: N/ASeeding Rate: 3 : similar to Bidens polylepsis, but has slightly larger flowers 32 Genus and Species: Cassia fasciculataFamily: FabaceaeCommon Name: Partridge PeaHabit: branching annualHeight: 2 feetFlower Color: yellowNative To: eastern and central United States Range: Massachusetts to FloridaBlooming Period: June SeptemberWater Requirement: low Soil Type: sandy to clayExposure: full sunSeed Count: 28,000 Rate: 15 : attracts birds and butterfliesGenus and Species: Castilleja coccineaFamily: ScrophulariaceaeCommon Name: Indian Paintbrush, Scarlet Paint-CupHabit: annualHeight: 8 24 inches Flower Color: redNative To: North AmericaRange: southern Manitoba to north Florida.