Oct. 4--Here's a gardening challenge: You have a space to plant, in full sun, with exposure to wind, cold and pollution. There's no water. Nothing may grow too tall, but it's physically risky to weed and prune. And above all, it needs to be pretty -- to the dozens of people who see it every day, it symbolizes your neighborhood.

We're talking about the roundabout, and its smaller cousin, the traffic circle. As traffic-calming devices, they've been around Tacoma and surrounding communities since the 1980s, and since then, folks have realized what a challenge they pose to plants.

So if you have a circle that needs fixing, or might be getting one soon, read on.

"Drought-tolerant, low-growing and minimal maintenance," sums up gardening consultant Sue Goetz, on what plants suit roundabouts. "They are some of the worst conditions you could ask of plants -- exposure to exhaust, full sun, no water, traffic."

Yet despite the landscaping issues, roundabouts and traffic circles are popular in this area. The first roundabout in Washington state was built, in fact, in University Place in 1997. Since then, there have been seven more there, plus three in Tacoma, six in Gig

Harbor and two "neighborhood roundabouts" in DuPont, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Traffic circles, which are smaller and don't legally require drivers to slow or yield, are even more popular -- 143 have been built in Tacoma alone since 1989.

"They've been shown to reduce accidents by 62 percent," says Jennifer Kammerzell, associate engineer in the City of Tacoma's traffic section.

And while the city does offer to fill in circles with asphalt or art-filled concrete, many neighborhoods choose to landscape. Residents don't even have to pay for it, with topsoil and minimal groundcover supplied by the city, and funding for the rest coming from Innovative Grants through Neighborhood Councils.

The problem lies in exactly which plants to get, how to set them up and the maintenance.

For traffic circles, visibility is key. Plants need to be less than 3 feet wide and high, says Kammerzell, and the central sign needs to be visible. Small rocks and pebbles are discouraged, as they can roll off and become hazardous. There's no room for really big rocks. And there's no water supplied.

"New Zealand flax, and helianthemum or sun rose," recommends Scott Gruber, co-owner of Calendula Nursery, for medium-size plants. Gruber has designed several local circles, including the one at South I and South Eighth streets, plus the road-closure triangle two blocks up at Sixth Avenue. His traffic circle, built in 1994, came with a weeping cherry and outward branching spruce. In 2006, Gruber added rosemary and a spiky dracaena, with mounding convolvulus cneorumand grasses at a lower level, and some sedum groundcovers to round out the height variety.

Some circles -- like those on South Sheridan and South Cushman on the Hilltop -- even have maples, the branches high enough to allow visibility, with roses underneath.

Roundabouts, however, have more upward flexibility. As they're designed for traffic to slow down and yield to the left, it's actually an advantage to have something tall in the middle to block the view straight through, says WSDOT traffic engineer Brian Walsh.

Gretchen Roosevelt knows all about roundabouts. As one of the "Roundabouters," as her neighborhood group became known, she helped work for six years to achieve the one at North 37th and North Stevens streets, completed last year, and does regular maintenance.

Courtesy of landscape company Outdoor Escapes, the North Stevens Street roundabout and its surrounding pedestrian islands are piled with enormous boulders, as well as dogwood, Japanese holly, rosemary, New Zealand flax, abelia and bulbs. Money left over from the Innovative Grant funding will go toward artwork and an interpretive sign on the gulch side of the street, pointing out local landmarks.

"Low maintenance is our ultimate goal," says Roosevelt who, with neighbor Kathy Westlin, gets out there every three months in her safety vest to weed. While the plants are establishing, Westlin also drags her extra-long garden hose out there twice a week, along with some traffic cones. (For major work, the City of Tacoma can block the road.)

"We don't want to spend more time there than necessary; it's not the safest place to be," says Roosevelt. And after the recent Seattle incident in which a circle-tender died following an altercation while using his hose on a traffic circle, drought-tolerant starts to look even better. Plus, as Roosevelt points out, even though roundabout gardeners may be committed to start with, people move in and out of neighborhoods.

So what are some drought-tolerant plants that can stand some roundabout neglect?

Cotoneaster (Lowfast, Rockspray) hebe, dwarf junipers, tidy lavender such as Hidcote, rock rose, sage and santolina are all evergreens that Goetz likes.

For perennials, Gruber's favorite is ice plant, a succulent with stunning flowers. Goetz adds globe thistle, euphorbia, evening primrose (Siskiyou) sea holly, sea kale and penstemon to the list.

Ornamental grasses are excellent, such as Mexican feather grass or blue oat grass, and ceanothus Point Reyes or creeping rosemary work as groundcovers, as do natives such as kinnikinick.

Want flowers? Try echinacea, says Gruber, a long-flowering perennial that's tough as nails. And don't forget some ground cloth and compost or partially composted bark to suppress weeds.

"Get the right plant for the right location," advises Roosevelt. "Get a depth of planting. Know the growth habits, and get professionals to design -- they're best at it."

And if you do it right, a landscaped circle is worth the effort. Says Launa Wolch, a longtime member of the 8th and I Neighbors Association: "Our traffic circle brings a certain amount of pride. It tells visitors and residents that we care about our area. It's a symbol and expectation of what we want for the neighborhood."

Rosemary Ponnekanti: 253-597-8568

Applying for a traffic circle

Application procedures and regulations vary: Contact your city government or homeowners' association. Meanwhile, here are the guidelines for the City of Tacoma:

1. Does your intersection meet the criteria of having four or more police-reported accidents in the last three years? Is it not part of any arterial or emergency response route?

2. If yes to both of these, then contact city engineer Jennifer Kammerzell at 253-591-5579 for an application and petition.

3. Get at least 60 percent of the residents within one block of the intersection to agree to the traffic circle by signing the petition.

4. Send in the application and petition. The city will evaluate the intersection's accident history.

5. If your circle is approved, the city will pay for the circle's construction, plus either topsoil or filled-in asphalting. If you choose to landscape, the city can also provide basic groundcover such as kinnikinick.

6. Apply for landscaping funds via an Innovative Grant through your local neighborhood council.

7. If you secure the grant, the city requires you to complete an Adopt-a-Spot agreement, confirming that you (or someone) takes on maintenance responsibility for at least two years.

8. Finally, select your landscape designer, or do it yourself. The City requires all plants be less than 3 feet in height and width and that the central signage be clearly visible. It also discourages small rocks or pebbles, unless cemented.

9. For maintenance safety, ask the city for free safety vests, gloves and garbage bags through the Adopt-a-Spot agreement, and purchase your own traffic cones.

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