By hell strip, I’m referring to the area right next to the road. Usually a small strip of lawn sandwiched between the sidewalk and road that must endure more abuse then any other parts of the yard. The many insults to this piece of soil include heavy foot traffic, an occasional misplaced tire, road salt, snow piles, trash totes, and heavy storm water. Plants growing in the hell strip must be able to survive compacted, polluted soils. They must be low growing so as to not interfere with car doors, tough enough to withstand foot traffic, and provide year round soil cover to prevent erosion.
If there are no power lines overhead this area is perfect for a shade tree. Trees like the Kentucky coffee tree, hackberry, and oaks like northern red oak and pin oak will tolerate the harsh conditions next to the road. If the power lines are high a small tree can be planted like redbud, serviceberry, witchhazel, and wafer ash. Keep trees next to the road pruned up so that branches are not hit by cars and they don’t block the sidewalk.
When planting in this part of the yard I like to dig the soil level down to be an inch or two lower than the street and sidewalk. This area can collect storm water and infiltrate it into the ground. This tiny rain garden will only stop a small amount of the water running off the street but every little bit helps. Bringing down the soil level also helps to keep the mulch in the bed and not washing off into the sidewalk and street.
There are not many ground cover plants that can survive in this harsh environment. One option to to have a Pennsylvania sedge planting. This is a similar look to liriope and expect every dog that walks by to find it an irresistible bathroom spot. Our native wild strawberry also makes a nice solid ground cover with the runners filling in bare spots. The sedge and strawberry stand up well to heavy foot traffic. Plants that also look great in the hell strip but need to be protected from trampling are pussy toes, senecio, and rose verbena. More sensitive plants can be tucked in next to trees or around mail boxes to protect them from being stepped on.
The hell strip or any piece of ground receiving runoff off the street is not a good place for the vegetable garden because the veggies will soak up all those chemicals and heavy metals and concentrate them in their fruits. Road salt, oil spills, and car exhaust should be kept away from any edible plants.
A few ways to help the public recognize this small piece of garden as an area to protect is to put up a landscape info box or sign. Add a bench where pedestrians feel welcome to sit and enjoy the garden. Strategically placing rocks can help keep tires from running over the garden and give people a place to step when crossing from the sidewalk to street.
The hell strip is the last frontier for many native gardeners as more prime planting locations become filled. Is it a good idea to be attracting insects and other critters to this dangerous area? Cars zoom by catching butterflies and smashing turtles. The mosquito fogging trucks come down the road leaving poison on the flowers that pollinators will pick up the next day. The traffic noise can drown out bird calls. Light from passing headlight confuses moths and other nocturnal insects. These decisions must be weighed with each planting.
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