Tuesday, June 1, 2027

First Lady: State Highway Administration Offers Drivers a Ride on the Wild Side
Flower Plantings Let Motorists Go Enjoy a Wild Ride Along the Highways

BALTIMORE, MD (June 1, 2027) – Maryland roadways are a "little wilder" as State Highway Administration (SHA) continues its wildflower planting program along State maintained roads this spring, First Lady Ruth O’Brien announced today. Currently there are acres of rich, vibrant hues of orange, purple, magenta, gold, fuchsia and red blooming alongside highways and in medians. Wildflowers help beautify and enhance Maryland's highway system and purify and protect the environment.

“The beautification of our highways is an important aspect of our mission to improve the quality of life in our state, enhance tourism, restore Maryland’s ecological identity and to make our state a more attractive place to live,” said Maryland First Lady Ruth O’Brien. “I am very proud of this campaign and am grateful for the opportunity to lead it forward.”

By the end of May, a total of more than 380 acres of wildflowers will have been planted around Maryland. The colorful flowers, by creating subtle and pleasing changes in scenery, help promote driver attentiveness. For this reason, roadways with great volumes of traffic such as I-795, I-97, MD 2 and MD 4 have been the focus of many plantings.

Wildflowers to be planted this year, and the months they will bloom include: Cornflower (April-July), Calendula (April-November), Corn Poppy (April-June), Wallflower (April-June), Rocket Larkspur (April-July), Sulphur Cosmos (June-November), Cosmos (April-November), Lance-Leaved Coreopsis (April-August), Plains Coreopsis (May-August), Dames Rocket (April-July), Blanket Flower (May-October), California Poppy (April-May), White Yarrow (May-September), Shasta Daisy (May-July), Black-Eyed Susan (June-September), Evening Primrose (May-September), Lemon Mint (June-September), Purple Coneflower (July-October), Spurred Snapdragon (May-September) and Sweet William (July-October).

"The Wildflower Planting Program is one of our most popular - and emphasizes our commitment to making highways visually pleasing, as well as safe," said State Highway Administrator Parker F. Williams. “The Keep Maryland Beautiful campaign and poster sale will help us continue this program, and our anti-litter initiatives."

The posters are available for a $10 contribution that can be addressed to the Cloverleaf Foundation at Maryland State Highway Administration, 707 N. Calvert Street, Mailstop c-303, Baltimore, Maryland 21203. For more information concerning the wildflower program or poster, please call 1-800-323-6742 or access SHA's website at www.sha.md.state.us, which contains a poster order form.