When you think of Lady Bird Johnson, what comes to mind? For many it’s her service as America’s First Lady. But her legacy is really her love of plants and beauty. Her death in 2007 reminded plant lovers and gardeners nationwide of how much we’re in her debt for recognizing the importance of restoring and sustaining the botanical resources of our country.
Lady Bird Johnson, born Claudia Alta Taylor, used her influence as First Lady to promote the restoration of natural landscapes.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Ironically, Lady Bird didn’t care for the term “beautify.” She thought it implied something frivolously decorative – and her vision was much greater than mere beautification. She wanted to rescue the natural landscape of America that was fading away before her eyes. She endured the slogan “Beautify America” just to promote the planting of wildflowers, as well the restoration of natural landscapes and botanical diversity from coast to coast and border to border. Lady Bird also knew the importance of reviving America’s decayed urban areas by replacing eyesores with native gardens, giving city folks a sense of pride, hope and ownership in their neighborhoods.
I was lucky enough to grow up in Texas when the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 became law. The legislation, promoted by her husband President Lyndon Johnson, was Lady Bird’s brainchild. Not only did it call for controls over billboards and such, but it also mandated that ugly sights along interstates – like junkyards – had to be removed or screened. So no matter how old you are, if you’ve gone on a road trip, you’ve seen the law in action. Thanks to Lady Bird, traveling along America’s highways and byways is simply much less cluttered and much more beautiful.
For me, the most memorable aspect of Lady Bird’s legislation was the sudden bloom of bluebonnets, firewheels, Indian blankets, Indian paintbrushes and other native flowers I’d see along the interstates I traveled. Of course, I had seen these flowers all my life; but suddenly springtime drivers along the main highways of Texas were smitten by the breathtaking expanses of wildflowers – vast, rolling blankets of blue, orange, yellow, pink and red that made you pull over just to take a picture or take in the sheer wonder of the glorious display.
Later, in 1982, the former First Lady and actress Helen Hayes created the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The gardens there are spectacular displays of plants native to the central Texas Hill Country. Today the center’s an important resource for educating Americans about landscaping with native plants. In addition to its extensive native-plant database and seed bank, the center features theme gardens that encourage native plantings, as well as nature trails. There are many seasonal events, too, that teach kids and grown-ups alike how to get started with their own native gardens.
If you want to know anything about Texas natives, check out the Wildflower Center. It’s got a wide range of info on 7,200 species native to the Lone Star State. (And many of these beauties aren’t grown just in Texas, either.) The database, which includes great pictures of each plant, makes it easy for gardeners to choose the native that’s right for their particular growing conditions.
While native-plant gardening is growing in popularity, it really hasn’t peaked yet. Lady Bird Johnson has passed, but her legacy carries on – and she’ll continue to inspire generations of Americans to go native and make the world a better, more beautiful place.
