Parking strips—those tricky stretches between the sidewalk and street—are often overlooked, but I see them as a blank canvas for creativity. Over the years, I’ve helped homeowners turn these so-called ‘hellstrips’ into vibrant, low-maintenance showcases that make the whole block smile.
Create a Drought-Tolerant Oasis
In my own Portland neighborhood, I’ve replaced thirsty grass with a tapestry of drought-tolerant groundcovers like creeping thyme and sedum that thrive on neglect and still look lush in the summer heat. These resilient plants blanket the strip in green and blooms while keeping water bills in check.
Explore these options:
- Creeping Thyme or Sedum Live Groundcover Plants: Transform your parking strip with drought-tolerant groundcovers that add color and texture with minimal watering.
- Eco-Friendly Landscape Fabric: Lay down weed-blocking landscape fabric to help your new groundcovers thrive and reduce maintenance.
- Drip Irrigation Starter Kit: Install a simple drip irrigation kit to ensure efficient watering for your low-maintenance parking strip oasis.
Why Not Go Grass-Free?
After years of mowing awkward strips of grass, I finally convinced a client to switch to decorative gravel and boulders—zero mowing, zero regrets. The mix of stone sizes adds structure and drama, and scattered succulents make the whole space feel intentional.
Useful items to consider:
- Decorative landscape gravel: Upgrade your parking strip with stylish decorative gravel for a neat, low-maintenance, and modern look.
- Garden landscaping boulders: Add interest and structure to your garden with durable landscaping boulders for instant curb appeal.
- Live assorted succulents: Introduce visual variety and drought resistance by planting easy-care live succulents between your rocks.
Build a Pathway for Foot Traffic
I learned the hard way that people (and dogs) will always cut corners, so now I always include a paver or stepping stone path down the middle of busy strips. It protects the plants and invites visitors to walk right through your mini garden.
What you might need:
- Concrete Stepping Stones: Lay durable concrete stepping stones for a clean, modern look through your parking strip garden today.
- Decorative Landscape Edging: Define your walkway and protect plants with easy-to-install, weather-resistant garden edging solutions.
- Landscape Decorative Pebbles: Fill gaps between pavers with decorative pebbles for improved drainage and a polished, finished path.
Vibrant Mixed Plantings for Year-Round Interest
One of my favorite client projects used ornamental grasses and perennial flowers—imagine tall, swaying feather grass with pops of purple coneflower and golden yarrow. Even in winter, the dried seed heads and stems keep things lively and textured.
Products that may fit:
- Perennial Flower Seed Mix: Brighten your parking strip with a mix of perennial flower seeds for extended seasonal color and habitat.
- Ornamental Grass Plugs or Seeds: Create movement and structure with easy-to-plant ornamental grass plugs or seeds for texture all year.
- Mulch for Garden Beds: Protect your plantings and retain soil moisture using high-quality mulch for neat and healthy borders.
Can Mulch Make a Difference?
Mulching a parking strip was a game changer—it locks in moisture, suppresses weeds, and adds a tidy finish. I always recommend a thick layer of natural wood mulch around perennials and shrubs for a clean, cohesive look.
Items that may come in handy:
- Natural Wood Mulch for Landscaping: Enhance your parking strip with natural wood mulch, helping to retain moisture and discourage weeds.
- Heavy Duty Gardening Gloves: Protect your hands while spreading mulch and planting perennials with these durable gardening gloves.
- Garden Mulch Rake: Distribute mulch evenly and neatly in your parking strip using a sturdy garden mulch rake.
Unexpected: Turn It Edible with Herbs and Veggies
Last year, a client grew dwarf tomatoes, rosemary, and chives in her strip—neighbors stopped to chat and snip herbs as they walked by. Edible plants thrive in full sun and make the space both beautiful and delicious.
A few picks to consider:
- Raised Garden Bed Kit: Start your own edible parking strip garden with easy-to-assemble raised beds for neat, productive planting.
- Heirloom Herb and Vegetable Seed Pack: Grow delicious herbs and veggies right outside your door with a diverse, easy-to-sow seed collection.
- Organic Vegetable Fertilizer: Boost growth and yields in your parking strip with natural fertilizer formulated for edible plants.
Bold Color with Ornamental Foliage
A sensory snapshot: silvery lamb’s ears and chartreuse hostas catch the light, while purple sage adds depth. Even when flowers fade, these foliage-forward strips pop against the gray curb and sidewalk.
Suitable options for this:
- Lamb’s Ear Live Plants or Seeds: Add soft, silvery texture to your parking strip with easy-to-grow lamb’s ear live plants or seeds.
- Chartreuse Hostas Starter Plants: Brighten the curbside with lush, chartreuse hostas—perfect for bold foliage and durable color displays.
- Purple Sage Plants or Herb Seeds: Bring depth and aromatic interest to your strip with hardy, purple sage plants or seeds.
Ready to Try Xeriscaping?
Inspired by high-desert gardens, I’ve used xeriscaping to create wild, naturalistic strips with native grasses, yucca, and river rock. These plantings thrive with almost no water and have a rugged, untamed beauty.
Consider these options:
- Drought-tolerant ornamental grass seeds: Transform your parking strip with easy-to-grow, drought-resistant grasses for low-maintenance natural beauty.
- Landscape river rock: Create a stunning xeriscape with decorative river rock to reduce weeds and maintain moisture naturally.
- Hardy yucca plant starter: Add visual interest and structure with hardy yucca plants that thrive in dry, sunny conditions.
How About a Mini Rock Garden?
I once turned a narrow strip into a rock garden with sculptural boulders, small sedums, and creeping phlox—maintenance dropped to almost nothing, and the stones warmed up the space beautifully. It’s a great choice for strips that get full sun and lots of foot traffic.
Get the gear:
- Decorative Landscaping Rocks: Transform your parking strip with decorative landscaping rocks for a natural, low-maintenance garden look.
- Creeping Phlox Seeds or Plants: Add vibrant color and ground cover to your rock garden with easy-to-grow creeping phlox plants.
- Sedum Plant Collection: Create texture and interest with a variety of drought-tolerant sedum plants ideal for sunny spots.
Frame It: Use Landscape Edging for Definition
A crisp edge makes all the difference—I’ve framed strips with steel or brick edging to keep mulch and soil tidy and signal ‘garden zone’ to passersby. It’s a small detail that makes your curbside garden look intentional and cared for.
Grab the essentials:
- Brick landscape edging blocks: Define your parking strip with easy-to-install brick edging for a classic, clean and durable look.
- Flexible steel garden edging: Create crisp, professional lines around your planting area using flexible steel edging—easy to shape and install.
- Rubber mallet for edging installation: Effortlessly secure landscape edging in place with a sturdy rubber mallet, ensuring stability and precision.
Client Spotlight: Underplanting with Street Trees
A family I worked with wanted to dress up the base of their mature street tree, so we layered in shade-tolerant groundcovers like sweet woodruff and ferns for a lush, green look under the canopy. The transformation wowed the neighbors and made the tree stand out.
Something that could work:
- Shade-Tolerant Groundcover Plant Seeds: Grow a lush green carpet beneath your trees by planting easy shade-tolerant groundcover seeds in your strip.
- Outdoor Garden Fern Starter Plants: Add instant greenery and texture under large trees with hardy fern starters made for shady spots.
- Professional Mulch for Shade Gardens: Help retain soil moisture and keep weeds at bay by spreading mulch around your new underplantings.
Dare to Go Vertical with Trellises
Here’s a twist: I installed a row of slender trellises with climbing nasturtiums in a client’s strip, turning a flat space into a vertical accent. The flowers spill over in cascades, drawing all eyes to the curbside.
Helpful items for this idea:
- Metal garden trellis for climbing plants: Create striking vertical interest and support climbing flowers in your parking strip with a sturdy metal trellis.
- Nasturtium climbing flower seeds: Brighten your parking strip by planting easy-to-grow nasturtium seeds for beautiful, cascading flowers.
- Garden soil for flowers and vines: Give your climbing plants the nutrition they need with rich, well-draining soil formulated for flowers.
Low Shrubs for Structure and Privacy
My go-to for structure is a drift of low-maintenance shrubs like dwarf spirea or compact juniper—these anchor the strip and create a tidy green buffer between sidewalk and street. They’re tough, tidy, and need only the occasional trim.
These products might help:
- Dwarf Evergreen Shrub Live Plants: Add instant structure and a year-round green buffer to your parking strip with hardy dwarf evergreens.
- Low-Maintenance Shrub Starter Pack: Kickstart your landscaping project with a mixed pack of compact, easy-care shrubs for borders or strips.
- Mulch for Shrub Beds: Help your new shrubs thrive and keep weeds down by adding a protective layer of quality mulch.
Could You Make It a Path for Play?
I once saw kids balancing along a low timber edge—it made me realize a parking strip can double as a play space. Durable edging and tough groundcovers create a safe, fun spot for neighborhood adventures.
Essentials for this look:
- Landscape Timber Edging: Create a safe, natural border for playful balance and curb appeal in your parking strip area.
- Durable Ground Cover Plants: Choose tough, low-maintenance plants for a resilient, soft play surface between walking and playing.
- Playground Safety Mulch: Enhance safety by adding mulch to cushion falls and encourage worry-free active play outdoors.
Unconventional: A Succulent Mosaic
For a truly unexpected look, I helped a client plant a living mosaic of colorful succulents and gravel in geometric patterns—people slow down just to stare. It’s a living art piece right at the curb and is nearly maintenance-free.
To help you get the job done:
- Assorted live succulent plants: Create instant curb appeal—mix these easy-care succulents for your vibrant, living mosaic design.
- Decorative landscape gravel and rocks: Define bold geometric patterns with decorative gravel and pebbles for a striking, modern look.
- Outdoor garden edging or border kit: Keep shapes organized and neat—use these garden edging kits to outline your mosaic sections easily.
Make It Your Own: Mix and Match for Maximum Curb Appeal
The best strips I’ve designed combine several ideas—mulch, a path, mixed plantings, and a pop of something personal like a small sculpture or birdbath. Your parking strip is the first hello for your home, so let it tell your story.
Some handy options:
- Decorative Garden Pathway Stones: Create a charming walkway through your parking strip to elevate both beauty and functionality instantly.
- Outdoor Birdbath: Invite nature right to your curb with a classic birdbath, adding charm and lively activity to your garden.
- Mixed Flower and Shrub Seeds: Transform your parking strip with vibrant mixed plantings for year-round color and unique curb appeal.
