Plant Your Hellstrip (aka get rid of grass + infiltrate stormwater)

[RetiredAt63]

Impatiens and New Guinea impatiens and astilbe also like shade.  They all need lots of water though.

[Roots&Wings]

Are yall smothering the grass with cardboard and then planting on top of it? I do that in my backyard but it definitely has that shabby-chic look going on until it settles. Not sure I want to subject my neighbors to that.

I have a hellstrip that I'd love to convert to something for the pollinators. The trick is that it's in medium to deep shade- my city has a lot of lovely old growth trees that are great visually but don't lend well to front yard planting. I'm pretty sure the tree is also a walnut of some type, which poisons with juglone. So, wish list:

1. Perennial, or aggressively self-seeding
2. Pollinator friendly
3. Tolerates juglone
4. Tolerates shade

 I might just put in a bunch of hostas. People in my neighborhood are always dividing and giving them away.

Yep, I did a base layer of cardboard topped with free woodchip mulch, then planted it. Mulching on top of the cardboard right away made it "look nice", then planted everything over a couple weeks so it wasn't too much of an eyesore for neighbors.

Ferns, hostas, and drought tolerant flowering shade plants would be beautiful!

[trashtalk]

Just love this thread. I have rhubarb in my parking strip and it's a good place for it. It can hold up to being both trampled and ignored and it's a food plant that takes a bit of processing to be palatable so no one swings by to harvest food.

[NaN]

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/gardening/inspired-inferno-strips-santa-fe-style

Lots of ideas on that website. I think some of the early inspirations are similar (catmint, salvia, sage).

They also sell "easy" kits if you are lazy, or can't find those plants locally.

[Roots&Wings]

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/gardening/inspired-inferno-strips-santa-fe-style

Lots of ideas on that website. I think some of the early inspirations are similar (catmint, salvia, sage).

They also sell "easy" kits if you are lazy, or can't find those plants locally.

Love this! "Inferno strip" is a nicer term too. It's fun to see these done well in different climate types.

[trc4897]

I LOVE what the OP has done and the other pictures that people have shared! The boulevards here always get quite a lot of sand piled on them over the course of winter plowing, so I haven't tried any creative planting yet.

For the poster wondering what to plant for an area for their daughter to play on, I've had success with clover as a lawn replacement. White clover grows close to the ground, is drought tolerant, is delightfully soft and cool-feeling to the touch and is invasive enough to compete with other weeds. (Purple clover grows taller, so probably isn't as good of a lawn alternative). After moving some raised beds, I just sprinkled seeds and watered daily while they got established, and they've out-competed the other seeds and weeds to produce a really nice blanket. I sprinkled some clover on the existing grass as well, so the clover sort of blends into the lawn. It's not quite uniform, but it's in my back yard, so I'm more interested in ease and bees than what others think.

To out-compete existing weeds, the approach suggested by one of the earlier posters: cardboard, a thin layer of soil and seed would probably be best, because it would allow the clover to get established before the cardboard breaks down and the crab grass gets a chance to try to emerge.

Do you have a picture you could share of your yard where you have the clover? This is something I'd like to try on my hill that is a pain in the butt to mow!

Also, has anyone done anything like this in the snowy northeast? I worry that the salt from the roads in the winter would kill anything I have right against the road. We call it a "treelawn".

[FLBiker]

The badass in the middle turned his suburban front lawn into a market garden generating $5.6k/month during the growing season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMN9yPNgaGc

Ha, I know that guy and he is indeed a badass!  He basically made use of free compost available from the county to build soil for the whole quarter acre, and amends it with compost from local businesses (and some seaweed).  Over the summer (when he's in Maine) he plants the whole thing with sweet potatoes, which will grow unattended!

We just moved (from FL to Nova Scotia) so we have a lot of learning to do.  The yard has a decent amount of grass, but also a large vegetable plot (weeded over) and established blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and hardy kiwi (we think).  Once we get our feet under us, I'd like to move towards less work / more food.  I did a fair bit in Florida, but it's a totally different game up here.

If you're in 9b, though, one plant I highly recommend is katuk.  It's a perennial green (you can eat it raw or cook it, like spinach).  Dead easy to grow, easy to propagate, easy to harvest, tastes good.  We got ours from someone who (I think) got it here: https://www.echocommunity.org/

[Roots&Wings]

Do you have a picture you could share of your yard where you have the clover? This is something I'd like to try on my hill that is a pain in the butt to mow!

Also, has anyone done anything like this in the snowy northeast? I worry that the salt from the roads in the winter would kill anything I have right against the road. We call it a "treelawn".

Used to live in the northeast, and had ferns, liriope and hostas in the tree strip, which did fine. I'm also going to see about the white clover for lawn overseeding, it'll be great to get rid of more grass.

Forgot to mention, retail parking lot islands in your area can be a good source of inspiration too, those plants take about every abuse imaginable.

[Roots&Wings]

The badass in the middle turned his suburban front lawn into a market garden generating $5.6k/month during the growing season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMN9yPNgaGc

Ha, I know that guy and he is indeed a badass!  He basically made use of free compost available from the county to build soil for the whole quarter acre, and amends it with compost from local businesses (and some seaweed).  Over the summer (when he's in Maine) he plants the whole thing with sweet potatoes, which will grow unattended!

We just moved (from FL to Nova Scotia) so we have a lot of learning to do.  The yard has a decent amount of grass, but also a large vegetable plot (weeded over) and established blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and hardy kiwi (we think).  Once we get our feet under us, I'd like to move towards less work / more food.  I did a fair bit in Florida, but it's a totally different game up here.

If you're in 9b, though, one plant I highly recommend is katuk.  It's a perennial green (you can eat it raw or cook it, like spinach).  Dead easy to grow, easy to propagate, easy to harvest, tastes good.  We got ours from someone who (I think) got it here: https://www.echocommunity.org/

That's awesome @FLBiker, thanks for the tip, I'll see about katuk! ECHO is wonderful. Have moringa, longevity spinach, sissoo spinach, sweet potato greens, cranberry hibiscus and amaranth for fresh greens currently. Sounds like katuk can do well in shade, which would be perfect.

If you haven't checked out the Maritime Gardener, he has a lot of great tips (I have family up there): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsj4I8YTlUGbqp7OcWTRJTw There are so many small farms and a wonderful fresh local food culture in Atlantic Canada, should be a lot of fun.

[trc4897]

Do you have a picture you could share of your yard where you have the clover? This is something I'd like to try on my hill that is a pain in the butt to mow!

Also, has anyone done anything like this in the snowy northeast? I worry that the salt from the roads in the winter would kill anything I have right against the road. We call it a "treelawn".

Used to live in the northeast, and had ferns, liriope and hostas in the tree strip, which did fine. I'm also going to see about the white clover for lawn overseeding, it'll be great to get rid of more grass.

Forgot to mention, retail parking lot islands in your area can be a good source of inspiration too, those plants take about every abuse imaginable.

Awesome thanks for the tips!

So true about the parking lots islands too

[FLBiker]

The badass in the middle turned his suburban front lawn into a market garden generating $5.6k/month during the growing season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMN9yPNgaGc

Ha, I know that guy and he is indeed a badass!  He basically made use of free compost available from the county to build soil for the whole quarter acre, and amends it with compost from local businesses (and some seaweed).  Over the summer (when he's in Maine) he plants the whole thing with sweet potatoes, which will grow unattended!

We just moved (from FL to Nova Scotia) so we have a lot of learning to do.  The yard has a decent amount of grass, but also a large vegetable plot (weeded over) and established blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb and hardy kiwi (we think).  Once we get our feet under us, I'd like to move towards less work / more food.  I did a fair bit in Florida, but it's a totally different game up here.

If you're in 9b, though, one plant I highly recommend is katuk.  It's a perennial green (you can eat it raw or cook it, like spinach).  Dead easy to grow, easy to propagate, easy to harvest, tastes good.  We got ours from someone who (I think) got it here: https://www.echocommunity.org/

That's awesome @FLBiker, thanks for the tip, I'll see about katuk! ECHO is wonderful. Have moringa, longevity spinach, sissoo spinach, sweet potato greens, cranberry hibiscus and amaranth for fresh greens currently. Sounds like katuk can do well in shade, which would be perfect.

If you haven't checked out the Maritime Gardener, he has a lot of great tips (I have family up there): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsj4I8YTlUGbqp7OcWTRJTw There are so many small farms and a wonderful fresh local food culture in Atlantic Canada, should be a lot of fun.

Awesome, thanks, I'll definitely check that out!  I share his interest in permaculture, so I'm very interested!

[lhamo]

Richard Perkins of Ridgedale Permaculture in Sweden has some great Youtube videos on permaculture techniques for people living at high latitudes.  He had a fun visit with a woman in the far north of Norway that I enjoyed, too.

[I'm a red panda]

Those are beautiful, but would be illegal in my area.  Planting is not allowed in the "right of way".  Even though the homeowner has to maintain it, it belongs to the city.  Has to be sodded grass. Can't even seed when you build. No trees, no flowers, mowing ordinance applies.

[gaja]

Richard Perkins of Ridgedale Permaculture in Sweden has some great Youtube videos on permaculture techniques for people living at high latitudes.  He had a fun visit with a woman in the far north of Norway that I enjoyed, too.

Agree that his videos are interesting and useful, and it looks like the climate where he lives in Värmland is quite close to Nova Scotia. But if you are thinking about this video about a young Dane growing vegetables on Avdem in Lesja, she doesn't live in the far north. Lesja is in the middle of the country (62degN), but they are far enough up in the mountains that growing stuff is challenging. Their cheeses are really good, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylvnyls0pdQ (Northern Norway starts at 65degN, but I wouldn't say you are at "far north" until you pass Tromsø (70 degN).)

[Roots&Wings]

Those are beautiful, but would be illegal in my area.  Planting is not allowed in the "right of way".  Even though the homeowner has to maintain it, it belongs to the city.  Has to be sodded grass. Can't even seed when you build. No trees, no flowers, mowing ordinance applies.

Hmm, that sounds like an antiquated code. Even Arbor Day Tree City has been around for decades, and could be a starting place if anyone was inclined to try to change that city requirement, unless this is an HOA.

[Fishindude]

A couple comments regarding the heavy plantings right along the street:

a. Street salt will likely kill many of the perennials if you are in a snow area.
b. Some of that taller stuff could be a safety hazard blocking visibility of kids, etc.
c. All those bushy plants make great habitat for small animals ..... right along the street where they stand a high chance of being run over.

[I'm a red panda]

Those are beautiful, but would be illegal in my area.  Planting is not allowed in the "right of way".  Even though the homeowner has to maintain it, it belongs to the city.  Has to be sodded grass. Can't even seed when you build. No trees, no flowers, mowing ordinance applies.

Hmm, that sounds like an antiquated code. Even Arbor Day Tree City has been around for decades, and could be a starting place if anyone was inclined to try to change that city requirement, unless this is an HOA.

No, not an HOA, a city requirement.  And relatively new code, within the last 15 years it passed.  We actually have "tree city" designation, and have for 20+ consecutive years, but the city council would not waiver on the "no planting in the right of way" (I actually served 2 terms on the tree and stormwater advisory board in hopes of getting that changed).  We have no trees along roadways in the right of way- they are on the OTHER side of sidewalks.  There are trees in medians between streets though.

[DaKini]

Cobblestones do rather well, too!

[Roots&Wings]

Those are beautiful, but would be illegal in my area.  Planting is not allowed in the "right of way".  Even though the homeowner has to maintain it, it belongs to the city.  Has to be sodded grass. Can't even seed when you build. No trees, no flowers, mowing ordinance applies.

Hmm, that sounds like an antiquated code. Even Arbor Day Tree City has been around for decades, and could be a starting place if anyone was inclined to try to change that city requirement, unless this is an HOA.

No, not an HOA, a city requirement.  And relatively new code, within the last 15 years it passed.  We actually have "tree city" designation, and have for 20+ consecutive years, but the city council would not waiver on the "no planting in the right of way" (I actually served 2 terms on the tree and stormwater advisory board in hopes of getting that changed).  We have no trees along roadways in the right of way- they are on the OTHER side of sidewalks.  There are trees in medians between streets though.

Wow good for you for trying! It's hard to believe that a city can legally mandate a single plant like sodded grass, which can require expensive ongoing maintenance and pollution of many types (air, water, and noise).

[LaineyAZ]

...

No, not an HOA, a city requirement.  And relatively new code, within the last 15 years it passed.  We actually have "tree city" designation, and have for 20+ consecutive years, but the city council would not waiver on the "no planting in the right of way" (I actually served 2 terms on the tree and stormwater advisory board in hopes of getting that changed).  We have no trees along roadways in the right of way- they are on the OTHER side of sidewalks.  There are trees in medians between streets though.

What was the reasoning, though?  Is it the concern that tree roots would interfere with sewer systems?  or the electrical lines overhead?  Just doesn't make sense when most major cities are trying to incorporate more green plants and shade.

[I'm a red panda]

What was the reasoning, though?  Is it the concern that tree roots would interfere with sewer systems?  or the electrical lines overhead?  Just doesn't make sense when most major cities are trying to incorporate more green plants and shade.

Traffic visibility and utilities- the vast majority of power lines in our city are buried.  There are a few old ones, but as projects allow, they are burying more.

We just had a derecho come through, 110 mph+ straightline winds- tons of trees down, lots of damage , and we had power back in 18 hours, some nearby cities are being told it may be 10 days or more. Buried power lines make a huge difference.

[Roots&Wings]

What was the reasoning, though?  Is it the concern that tree roots would interfere with sewer systems?  or the electrical lines overhead?  Just doesn't make sense when most major cities are trying to incorporate more green plants and shade.

Traffic visibility and utilities- the vast majority of power lines in our city are buried.  There are a few old ones, but as projects allow, they are burying more.

It still seems like alternate plants could meet the visibility/height criteria, I do wonder about the constitutionality of mandating a single plant like grass in this context.

In my state, growing food in your front yard is a basic legal right (local ordinances cannot prohibit this). The front utility easement, if it's your property that you're required to maintain, which grants the use of your land to public infrastructure, should be similar, as long as what's planted meets the visibility access criteria. Maybe the state level could help?

[Roots&Wings]

Richard Perkins of Ridgedale Permaculture in Sweden has some great Youtube videos on permaculture techniques for people living at high latitudes.  He had a fun visit with a woman in the far north of Norway that I enjoyed, too.

I'm loving these Farmers Friend videos on YouTube with Richard Perkins and others (the Dutch farmer is great too), thanks for mentioning!

[lhamo]

Charles Dowding is also great. And Monty Don and the crew at Gardeners world.

[I'm a red panda]

What was the reasoning, though?  Is it the concern that tree roots would interfere with sewer systems?  or the electrical lines overhead?  Just doesn't make sense when most major cities are trying to incorporate more green plants and shade.

Traffic visibility and utilities- the vast majority of power lines in our city are buried.  There are a few old ones, but as projects allow, they are burying more.

It still seems like alternate plants could meet the visibility/height criteria, I do wonder about the constitutionality of mandating a single plant like grass in this context.

In my state, growing food in your front yard is a basic legal right (local ordinances cannot prohibit this). The front utility easement, if it's your property that you're required to maintain, which grants the use of your land to public infrastructure, should be similar, as long as what's planted meets the visibility access criteria. Maybe the state level could help?

This doesn't seem worth fighting.  It's not restricting what you can do in your front yard; there is plenty of other space in the front yard to grow whatever you want. It's what can be done between the sidewalk and the curb.  Best I can tell, this is widely restricted in various municipalities throughout our state, though not on the state level.

[Roots&Wings]

Yeah, everyone gets to pick their projects and battles.

Thought this was another fun example, a couple in Quebec. I think I see Swiss chard, maybe rhubarb, nasturtiums, and some type of cabbage in the curb strip.

[Roots&Wings]

Almost one year update, red torch bromeliads are in bloom, they're magical!

   

The cardboard sheet mulching worked out amazingly well, only had to occasionally pull a weed (the paved driveway and sidewalk sprout more weeds than the front bed).

As for clover, wish red clover grew here, I'd love this for the "grass":


Will try overseeding with white clover lawn this fall.

[Roots&Wings]

Spring 2021 Update:
Banana and pineapples are fruiting, olive tree is about 7' tall. Re-mulched for first time.
Lost the pollinator flowers to an invasive dayflower weed takeover while gone for 5 months; otherwise things are doing great.

       
     
 
Learned the ferns I planted are invasive sword fern instead of native sword fern and will dig those out next.

-----------
In Australia apparently these are called "verge gardens": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARszB8_hnxA

[Weisass]

Looks good! Jealous of the bananas.

[Michael in ABQ]

Everything around here is gravel. So the options are gravel with weeds or gravel without weeds. I've got a big bottle of roundup I'll be using this weekend to try and kill everything in the gravel. Aside from that our landscaping consists of two bushes in the front, and a few Yucca plants in the backyard in a sea of gravel. It's a rental house and it's obvious that the previous tenants did nothing as the backyard was filled with weeds when we moved in.

[iris lily]

Here, lirope is the go-to no care green perennial on parking strips.It is popularly known as Monkey grass.we are in .zone 6.

I live in an urban core where lots are tiny, only 25 feet wide.Most you will have no Bluegrass because there’s no room for it.

I like a strip of Bluegrass to set off my flower garden, but it doesn’t have to be much.

[Weisass]

That’s it. I think my hellstrip is gonna get “degrassed” this fall. Anyone in zone 7 or near it have any suggestions?

[iris lily]

That’s it. I think my hellstrip is gonna get “degrassed” this fall. Anyone in zone 7 or near it have any suggestions?

Yes, Lirope. No care.

Don’t get the varigated kind even though it’s much prettier but it doesn’t grow strongly. Get one of the old reliable all green kind

[lhamo]

That’s it. I think my hellstrip is gonna get “degrassed” this fall. Anyone in zone 7 or near it have any suggestions?

How to do it?  Or what to put in it?  Do you want ornamentals or edibles or a mix of both?

[Weisass]

How to do it?  Or what to put in it?  Do you want ornamentals or edibles or a mix of both?

I have enough edibles I think. Probably just something with a mix of natives and evergreens to liven the strip up a bit.

[Roots&Wings]

How large an area is it @Weisass?

[lhamo]

If you are in an area where water runoff or water conservation/pollution prevention is important you might want to look at putting a rain garden -- in some parts of my city the local utility offers grants to cover most if not all of the installation costs as a way of keeping storm runoff out of the combined sewers.  Saves the city money in the long run while also having significant environmental benefits. 

Links to our local program and resources:

https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/wastewater/cso/rainwise.aspx
https://700milliongallons.org/tools/

[Weisass]

How large an area is it @Weisass?

It’s about 4 feet by 20. There’s a street tree (a flowering cherry), so a mix of heavy sun in the summer and partial shade.

[Roots&Wings]

I think your idea of evergreens and natives should look really nice in that size area. This is one example I found online:

[Weisass]

Nice! Yea I am gonna noodle some ideas on paper and see what sticks.

[markbike528CBX]

If you are in an area where water runoff or water conservation/pollution prevention is important you might want to look at putting a rain garden -- in some parts of my city the local utility offers grants to cover most if not all of the installation costs as a way of keeping storm runoff out of the combined sewers.  Saves the city money in the long run while also having significant environmental benefits. 

Links to our local program and resources:

https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/wastewater/cso/rainwise.aspx
https://700milliongallons.org/tools/

Thanks for the links.

[NorCal]

I'm still a year or two out from getting rid of our hellstrip lawn, but I'm starting to think about it more.

I'm in Denver and I have a few good ideas for perennials that will look really good in the spring and summer.

I'm running into a mental block on adding a things that would look nice in the winter.  I've thought about evergreen shrubs, but most of those grow higher than the 30" max the city has set.  I might do a few boxwood shrubs, but I'd like some other ideas.

Any thoughts?

[Roots&Wings]

Would plains yucca or little bluestem be candidates for evergreen winter interest @NorCal https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/native/FrontRangeSm.pdf?

Also, should probably update the thread title to reflect infiltrating stormwater / rain gardens. As @lhamo noted, some cities have programs to retrofit curb rain gardens to manage stormwater, these can be beautiful!

[Roots&Wings]

Here's some from NYC:

[Roots&Wings]

Here's some from Tucson, @Michael in ABQ gravel with weeds can be pretty nice!

[lhamo]

Not sure how they would do in your winters but here in the temperate PNW both rosemary and lavender stay green all year and are wonderfully fragrant.   Once established here they don't really require much supplemental watering as long as you choose Mediterranean varieties.

[the_hobbitish]

I'm in zone 7. Perennials that are doing well for me are coneflower, columbine, monarda, black-eyed susan, butterfly weed (good for monarchs). Those are all native in my area. I'd try googling native flowers for your region. Not only do they benefit pollinators, but they're better adapted to need little to no care.

[NorCal]

Thanks for the ideas!  I particularly like the plains yucca.

We have a local city that runs a great program called "garden in a box".  They pre-select a number of perennials with low water needs that are mostly native and sell it as a relatively affordable package.  We had great luck with this on the side of our house (so far) this year.

I plan to do this again for the hellstrip as well, I just realize I'll need to modify it a bit to include a few evergreens and remove a few plants they provide due to height restrictions.

For anyone else in the greater Denver area, https://resourcecentral.org/gardens/ is a great resource.

[iris lily]

I planted a long row, maybe 30 feet, of hybrid daylilies along our community garden fence. This is their third year and they are in glorious bloom, and they fill the 1.5’ depth well without flopping over o to the sidewalk. Their graceful, fountain -like foliage is nice through most of the summer.

I’m not a huge fan of daylilies, but I had a collection of about 20 named hybrids for the past decade and I keep dividing them and popping them Into places around my neighborhood. They always perform well. And it keeps the horrible ubiquitous ditch Lily out of my neighborhood.

These daylilies replaced a quite nice row of monkey grass that oddly became diseased three winters ago and died out. I didn’t know anything could kill monkey grass (liriope.)

[Trudie]

I live in 5b, urban area, where we tend to get lots of snow and ice in the winter.  Salt damage is a problem, and our hellstrip looks fair to middling.  I also live in a multi story condo complex, the frontage of which takes up an entire city block.  I would love to see a chunk of our hellstrip planted in prairie drop seed with just a few flowering perennials for color.

But, since our 55+ condo community is responsible for landscape bed maintenance, we have to keep things manageable.  As much as I hate turf, it’s easier to hire people to mow than it is to do maintenance of beds.

We are undertaking a landscape project in the backyard which will be a foundation planting using natives and nativars.  Prairie drop seed will be used extensively.  After living with it a few years, perhaps we will grow more amenable to doing something in the front.