Parking Strip Makeovers

What do you call that strip of ground between the sidewalk and the street?   "Parkway" is the official title in the western U.S., though that could mean a street instead. Also, verge (the British designation), boulevard, city grass, hellstrip, berm, planting strip, sidewalk buffer, besidewalk, tree belt, skirt, and more.  “Hellstrip” seems a fitting term when the diligent gardener is trying to keep it presentable.  I’ll call it “parking strip” because Californians seem to understand that term best.

Of the few native parking strips I've seen, a favorite is Dori's in Huntington Beach.  The feathery grass is Purple Three-Awn (Aristida purpurea), a somewhat aggressive reseeder.  You've been warned.  The front ground cover is a creeping native Sage.  Lovely, and unpredictable in its growth habits.

Parking strips can be big water wasters.  They are surrounded by hot hardscape and are almost impossible to water without runoff.  Many folks in Southern California are letting the grass in their parking strips die, and replacing it with low water landscaping.

All the parking strips in my neighborhood are planted and maintained by the homeowners' association.  They seldom venture beyond grass. Here is one exception that has proven durable, using Daylilies (right) and Purple Fountain Grass (left).  (Never plant regular Fountain Grass– it seeds freely and destroys native habitats.)

I hope folks are planning carefully, because plenty of the parking strip "afters" I've seen are uglier than the "before."  See the post "Turf Terminators Beware" for some important cautions.  This is a tough location for any plant.  Weed suppression is key.  Those of you whose lawns contains Bermuda or St. Augustine grasses will want to do your homework.  Your grass can re-sprout from roots up to six feet deep. Ron Vanderhoff at Rogers Gardens tells you how.

Dymondia is a trending lawn replacement.  While it can be hardy, it does not play well with others.  Shown here smothering native Deergrass (Muhlenbergia rigens.)   And it is watered the same amount as the remaining (bright green) Bermuda Grass section of this Costa Mesa parking strip: once a week after getting established.

Many of the strips I see require as much or MORE water than grass to look good (including plants on "water wise" websites !?!)  Do your homework– stay tuned for links to online water-use info.

A few natives, like buckwheats and this stunning but too-big-for-the-space Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa, from the 2015 San Diego CNPS garden tour), would be happy with no summer water at all.  

Parking strips exist to collect snow when clearing the street and sidewalk.  So why do we even have them in SoCal?  Planners were on autopilot, or consciously copying a style that is pointless and out of place in this land of small lots and limited water.  I suppose if they give it any thought, planners want them to add artistry to our yards.  So...why not go all the way?

If I had a parking strip I'd want it to have some artsy hardscape like this. (Not my photo; I don't have a proper attribution since it was forwarded to me.)

Your parking strip may be subject to a variety of city or county regulations as to what size and type of plants and/or hardscape you can use.  L.A.’s regulations are the most restrictive.

Tall plants in a parking strip could be a strategy to prevent neighbors from parking in front of your house.  But not in L.A.

Whatever regulations you face, common sense suggests choosing rugged plants that can withstand neglect, as well as the application of the occasional foot or car door.  Common courtesy requires you avoid overgrown plants, thorns, slippery rocks, and variations in ground level.

I love any Dudleya, but this one in a parking strip is too likely to be crushed underfoot.  And the ersatz streambed is a trip hazard.  From the 2015 San Diego CNPS garden tour.

I prefer alternating permeable hardscape (rocks, pebbles, slate or pavers) and patches of green, featuring tough ground covers, dwarf bushes, and succulents, native or not.

Not native, but pleasant and practical.

I don't mind a little whimsey either.

Here are links to some other parking strip resources. (I have passed on a few whose plant lists I don't recommend!)

West Hollywood's Parking Design Guide

An article from the L.A. Times: "Don't Make These Mistakes When Transforming Your Water-Wasting Parkway"

Thanks to my friend Lynne for getting me going on this topic.

Lynne gave me a tour of her neighborhood parking strips (I spared you the ugly ones). This is a shady spot in her gardens.

Here is her front garden. She dialed it down, and it still looks lush.   I can't wait to see her parking strip makeover.  

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