Tennessee is starting a tree- and flower-planting program at state welcome centers along the interstates to memorialize loved ones and to beautify the state.

But the Tennessee Groves program, a partnership between the state Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, also aims to discourage families and friends from installing crosses and memorials on interstate highways.

"I think (the program) is a great idea," said Chattanooga Urban Forester Gene Hyde, a past president of the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.

Beginning this fall, individuals or groups may buy trees or flowers for planting at welcome centers on Interstate 81 in Bristol, Interstate 55 in Memphis, Interstate 75 in Chattanooga and Interstate 65 in Giles County, south of Nashville.

Donors will receive certificates denoting the type of tree or flower to be planted, the donor's name and the name of the person or event being honored.

Individual trees will not be labeled, but the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council will inscribe the names of both honorees and donors in a book at each Tennessee Groves site.

Jon Nessle, a Chattanooga arborist and landscaper on the board of the Urban Forestry Council, said the plantings give the state a thoughtful way to discourage the tradition of putting up crosses on interstates where people have died. The crosses are traffic and maintenance hazards, he said, and they are illegal.

"Nobody had the heart to say, 'Look you can't be doing this,'" Mr. Nessle said. "So this is a way to help them. And it beautifies the state."

Mr. Nessle said the planting costs range from $25 to $275 and will cover purchase, delivery and installation of trees or flowers. The state will bear the long-term maintenance costs, he said.

Trees will be planted each year between November and March, the optimum time for tree planting, according to state officials.

Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman Julie Oaks said the plantings also can honor births, citizens, groups or occasions. She said brochures and order forms are online.

Ms. Oaks said the department already has received some calls from people who want to buy trees and flowers for a memorial or honorarium, and tourism officials have gotten requests for Tennessee Groves brochures.

TDOT officials said they hope to expand the program to more locations, such as state rest areas.