Editorial

Roadsides, gardens can still be beautiful

Saturday, June 3, 2006

The Nebraska Department of Roads could teach McCook homeowners a thing or two when it comes to saving money and water.

That's not to say homeowners shouldn't contribute to the beauty of the neighborhood by maintaining neat and trim yards and lawns.

But according to the department's highway landscape architect, Nebraska and other states have learned that roadsides can't all look like a putting green.

The architect, Art Thompson, outlined the state's landscaping policies to a Lincoln Journal Star reporter.

At one time, California once irrigated all major intersections, and Iowa seeded its rights-of-way in non-native grass.

After Nebraska went to limited mowing in the 1960s, the state figured it saved about half a million dollars in maintenance costs each year, which adds up to $18 million over the years, not factoring in inflation.

Now, the state regularly mows only the shoulder, for visibility, and the entire right of way only every three to five years, in place of natural burning. In drought years, landowners are granted permits to mow rights-of-way and bale the hay for livestock.

And California? It no longer irrigates intersections, and Iowa is killing off the non-native grass and replacing it with native varieties.

With McCook's expensive water treatment system now in place, you'll notice a lot of water-saving methods in use around town.

Rock and bark now cover ground that used to be grass, and some lawns have been given over entirely to landscaping that requires little or no irrigation.

But like the state's roadsides, there's no reason home landscapes have to look neglected.

For instance, Bob Henrickson of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum points out that some of the most beautiful flowers you can grow in your garden make their home right here in the Great Plains.

And, these showy, sun- and heat-loving plants are very drought-tolerant and bloom in spring as well as summer and fall.

He suggests plants like shell-leaf penstemon, prairie phlox, pale purple coneflower, leadplant, prairie skullcap and sensitive briar.

Check out the state's roadsides, and you'll often find examples of native flowering plants decorating the landscape.

And, the entire lawn doesn't have to go away -- if establishing a new lawn or refurbishing an old one, consider buffalo grass or other groundcover with low water requirements.

With a little research and bold ingenuity, there's no reason our yard can't be just as attractive as our neighbor's.

For more tips on saving household landscape water bills, check with your local nursery or Extension Service.

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