Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - July 28, 2012
From: Southwick, MA
Region: Northeast
Topic: Managing Roadsides, Plant Identification
Title: Identification of blue wildflower on roadsides in Massachusetts
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
What is the blue wildflower planted on roadsides and highways in Massachusetts?ANSWER:
Since I'm a long way from Massachusetts (in Austin, TX), I'm at a bit of a disadvantage in naming the blue flowers along Massachusetts' roadways, but I have several suggestions:
- You can do a COMBINATION SEARCH in our Native Plant Database by choosing "Massachusetts" from Select State or Province, "Herb" from Habit (general appearance), "July" from Bloom Time and "Blue" from Bloom Color. You can then look through the thumbnail photos on the list.
- You could also browse the flowers by color on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut Wildflowers database.
- You could contact someone at New England Wild Flower Society in Framingham, MA. They are very likely to know.
More Managing Roadsides Questions
Prairie Paintbrush and Managing Roadsides
April 26, 2005 - I have been visiting a piece of land beside I-35 for quite a few years now. It is home to tons of different plants, but it really has a fantastic show of Prairie Paintbrush - the multicolored ones, n...
view the full question and answer
Winter snow and road salt in Michigan
June 27, 2010 - I have been asked to select plants for an area in zone5/6 that suffers from snow load and street salt during winters. The area is about 15x18 and has a deciduous tree in the center. Grass, which did ...
view the full question and answer
Do any laws prohibit killing roadside wildflowers?
April 09, 2013 - Is there any law or regulation at the state level that prohibits, or at least discourages, mowing or spraying herbicide on the highway roadsides before the wildflowers have set seeds or did we lose th...
view the full question and answer
How to eliminate roadside thistles
May 26, 2015 - When we drive along the highway we see lots of wildflowers and no thistles in the median. How does the Highway Department keep the thistles out? Here in Kerrville, we are overwhelmed by thistles thi...
view the full question and answer
Managing Roadsides
March 20, 2004 - I’d like to plant some wildflowers as part of a community or roadside project. Will you provide the seeds or grant money?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |