The space between the sidewalk and street is often neglected and treated as a junk drawer. Many people either ignore the space, or just fill it with random discount plants from the garden center. However, if utilized correctly, this neglected space can be one of your property's most valuable assets.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceThat easily forgotten patch of grass or scrappy mulch is actually ideal for what landscape designers call a \\"pollinator highway\\". This is a smart planting that guides beneficial insects from yard to yard while providing year-round stunning curb appeal. The secret isn't just pretty flowers, it's the right combination of plants that bloom in succession, offer interest in all four seasons, and can withstand the tough conditions associated with street-side planting.
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The Foundation Layer: Grasses that Prepare the Scene
Begin with Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) as your structural anchor. This native grass adds movement and texture, as well as establishes the bones of your design. Instead of single specimens, plant them in groups of three to five. This more accurately mimics natural grass growth and creates more visual impact. The fine-textured foliage offers a zero-maintenance backdrop for showier flowers once established.
Early Season Bloomers: Get Ready for Spring Visitors
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) flowers bloom around the same time queen bees awaken from their winter dens. The pale flowers grow just above the ground and are great for naturalizing and filling gaps. They also provide invaluable early season nectar when most other plants are still dormant. Plant these in the front of your garden to form a pretty flowering edge.
Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) has beautiful blooms and white flowers. These will bring in early hummingbirds. The tall, architectural forms bring vertical interest and their tubular flowers attract the hummingbirds. Plant these in the middle of your design to add height without blocking smaller plants.
Powerhouses of Peak Performance Plants During Mid-Summer
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), with their striking golden-yellow colored blossoms, cause great distractions to drivers. Unlike other flowers, Black-eyed Susans provide spectacular nectar for several months instead of weeks, aiding pollinators in the critical mid-summer months. <br/> For optimal aesthetic effect, plant them in clusters of 7 or more.
The Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa) will entice hummingbirds and butterflies with its special flower design, and its scent is pleasing to people. It also has natural pest-repelling qualities due to its square stems and aromatic leaves. Plant behind your Black-eyed Susans so that their height adds layered interest.
Heliopsis helianthoides, or Oxeye Sunflower, has lovely, rich yellow flowers that will enhance your Rudbeckia show, without clashng with it. These flowers are very popular with our native bees and are also great for cut flower arrangements.
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Late Season Champions: Extending the Show
The Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) produces amazing nectar in the summer and seeds to feed birds in the winter. The unique cone centers draw in specific native bees. Their strong stems survive severe weather so be sure to leave the dead flower heads; the goldfinches will appreciate it!
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is one of the last blooming plants to provide nectar. Their foliage gives off a smell of licorice and provides a different texture. Butterfly migration is highlighted with the blooming of purple flower spikes. This plant is also self-seeding and naturally fills gaps over time.
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) loves moisture, so you'll find them near downspouts or in lower areas in your planting space. The tall spikes with bright blue flowers create a great contrast to yellow and purple blooms and offer specialized nectar to long-tongued bees.
The Supporting Actors: The Plants That Round Off The System
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has flat clusters of flowers which act as landing sites for helpful bugs. The finely divided leaves offer a different texture, and the extended bloom time fills the gaps in your succession of flowers. Instead of bright cultivars, select native strains that are white or a light yellow.
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) offers vertical height to your garden with its tall purple spiked flowers and extends your flowering season into the fall. This plant thrives in moist conditions and offers a unique habitat to specific native bees that don’t visit other blooms.
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) has some nice height and white flowering spikes that add drama to a garden. It's a late seasonal nectar source for butterflies that need to build energy reserves for winter survival.
Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis) is your monarch magnet with purple spikes that bloom from top to bottom (most flowers do the opposite). This odd blooming pattern offers nectar for an extended period.
The Finishing Touch: Fall into Winter Interest
Solidago spp. Goldenrod finishes your seasonal progression with bright yellow autumn flowers that offer essential nectar to migrating butterflies. Opt for shorter garden varieties instead of the taller field types to keep proportion in your front yard planting.
The secret to having successful native plantings in your front yard is thinking more like a landscape designer and not a collector. Instead of a single plant, try planting in odd-numbered groups. For a more unified design, repeat key plants throughout the space. When designing the yard, make sure to design clear sight lines from your front door to the street. This design will create cohesion to your yard and make it more intentional landscaping instead of looking like a wild meadow.
It's best to plant in the fall as the cooler temperature will help with root establishment to cope with the upcoming summer. Use shredded or natural mulch around the plants to help suppress weeds and moisture retention.
In two years, this transformation of the front yard will turn into a self-sustaining ecosystem, which will also require less maintenance than normal landscaping, and will provide seasonal beauty and habitat for the declining pollinator population, which is why your neighbors are going to ask your landscape designer for their contact information.
