North Carolina's Floral Blankets

North on Highway 52 toward Pilot Mountain, NC

North Carolina's mass flower plantings are one more reason to love living here.  They seem to pop up out of nowhere, an unexpected gift. They invite the driver to pull over, pause and admire the exuberance. 

I remember taking the top photo one evening on my way home from work in Winston-Salem. I had been keeping my
eye on the developing blossoms, and it seemed they peaked between the morning and the afternoon commutes.

Prepared with my camera in the glove compartment, I pulled off the highway and walked onto the little-traveled
overpass. 

I soaked in the color and the sunshine.
I felt invigorated and recharged. 
Robert Frost may have preferred snowy woods, but I love flowers. 

Denver garden

When we lived in Denver I had my own wildflower garden. It was all of 200 square feet, and required constant watering and weeding.  I enjoyed the random mix of bachelor buttons, yarrow, California poppies, blue flax, and hollyhocks.  


My eccentric neighbor enjoyed it too. I saw her helping herself to a bouquet one day, and she seemed honestly surprised that the garden hadn't sprung up without human help.

If you want the big version, there are instructions for growing your own large wildflower patch from the NC DOT in the link at the beginning of the blog. I'd love to see more of my two acres in wildflowers, but can't even imagine the maintenance it would take. 

I'll just enjoy what the state plants for me.

Do you have any roadside flower photos you'd like to share?