Transit is assessing the benefits of the three-year experiment, which finishes in February, and has yet to decide if more motorway flowers will flourish. The wildflowers give mowing the chop and save significantly on maintenance costs. But there is more to the scheme than cheering and soothing jaded travellers. Others said the mix of at least 10 flower species in just about every hue made them feel uplifted, relaxed and happy, brightening their journeys along otherwise barren roads. Another described the brilliant beds between boring grey bitumen corridors as 'very Monet'. I smiled all the way home,' wrote one motorist. 'Oh wow, heaven on earth! What a gentle and memorable sight those flowers are. And the public response has been effusive, with hundreds of letters, e-mails and calls praising the project - and wanting more. The Brunsdens, in association with Transit New Zealand, Fulton Hogan and Serco Consultancy, have sowed easy care wildflowers on the median strips of highways north and south of Auckland.
Geoff and Liz Brunsden, who have been working with the colourful plants for more than 20 years, say the flowers lift spirits. By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE Business is blooming for a Tauranga couple whose wildflowers have brought magic meadows to soulless motorways.
