Our parking strips are often unrecognized as spaces for beautiful gardens. Looking around our neighborhood we see many homeowners replacing their parking strip lawn with trees and smaller plants. A parking strip is a good place to grow longer-lived plants such as bulbs, perennials, small shrubs, trees, and even vegetables.
A conversion from lawn to a parking strip garden has many benefits. First, a lawn’s role in capturing atmospheric carbon is lost when chemicals and fossil fuel-burning machines are used in its maintenance. Second, plantings for pollinators and other insects are crucial for a healthy food web, given the reported dramatic decline in insect numbers. Parking strip gardens can provide food for many species, including humans. Pollinator Parkways, developed in Portland, has a very helpful do-it-yourself manual that covers grass removal, plants, planting designs and much more. (https://pollinatorparkways.weebly.com)
Lawn-to-garden parking strip conversion need not be done all at once; the project can develop over years. I divided our area into several small gardens and planted gradually. Two gardens have sun-loving plants, and two favor shade plants where our street trees are growing. I put paths in between the gardens to provide access from the street. I also made a narrow path along the curb to make it easier to get out of a car.
Choose plants that you like. If desired, take a look online to find out how they grow best: soil, water, light conditions are all important. You can take into account when plants bloom and choose them so that you have something in bloom spring, summer, and fall. A green garden of low shrubs, hostas, and ferns is a great idea also.
Amending the soil for best plant growth can be helpful, since you may have the natural clay/rock soil that is widespread in our neighborhood. As you dig new planting holes, add humus-rich soil for drainage and nutrients. With this option you are slowly improving your soil without a huge all-at-once project of removal and replacement.
Put in new plants in the fall and spring. All new plants need consistent water, and fall planting with warmer soil and rain may make plant establishment easier. Our parking strip garden has been growing for over 20 years, and I still water the established plants regularly in hot weather.
Some of the plants we have in our parking strip that pollinators love are small daffodils, tulips and crocuses, red hot poker, daphne, saxifrage, small hardy geraniums, penstemons, lavender, low-growing Oregon grape, dianthus, verbascum, wall flower and sedums, and sempervivums. Self-sown plants such as foxglove, feverfew, columbines, and larkspur can also thrive. I use Oregon natives and non-natives, but focus on plants that pollinators like. The warmest spot in our garden is the parking strip next to the driveway where we have large pots in which we plant heat-loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and basil. In spring, daffodils emerge between the pots. I frequently try new plants. Sometimes I move plants that are not doing as well. Taking a risk with a new plant may work out. Give it a try.
Great resources for how to and what to plant in parking strips are our neighborhood gardeners. Take a walk and find interesting parking strip gardens. Talk with the gardeners, make new friends, and gain some gardening knowledge.
Other good resources for plant choice suggestions are the staff at nurseries such as Garden Fever, Portland Nursery, and Marbott’s. I also find a lot of information about growing a wide range of plants from online searches.