The Alachua County Public Works Department teamed up last week with the Gainesville Garden Club and the Florida Department of Transportation to plant native wildflowers in county road medians. The five medians planted include Northwest 16th Avenue at Northwest 27th Terrace, Northwest 43rd Street at Northwest 19th Place, Southwest 24th Avenue at Southwest 103rd Street, Southwest 34th Avenue at Williston Road, and Southeast 43rd Street at Eastside High School and Lake Forest Elementary School.
The Lanceleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata) and Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa) were the two native species planted this year. The seed was produced locally by the Florida Wildflower Cooperative and generously provided by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The Lanceleaf Tickseed is one of 12 Coreopsis native to Florida. The genus Coreopsis was designated as Florida’s official wildflower in 1991. The Sunshine Mimosa is a flowering, deep-rooted, low-maintenance ground cover that helps stabilize the soil.
Wildflowers in the medians and right-of-way add beauty to the community, reduce the number of mowing cycles, and provide a food source for pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The flowers should be in full bloom this spring, around the first of April.
For more information, contact Alachua County Horticulturist Neil Greishaw at 352-374-5245.
