Hellstrip Planting

That stretch of dirt between the street and the sidewalk is referred to by many as the hellstrip these days. Its a brutal place for plants, which are exposed to just about every injustice and humiliation conceivable. There is no place on the property that is more exposed to general public use, and that's its intent.


Many cities have laws governing how the hellstrip can be planted. Plants should be low growing and provide access from the street. Its an important consideration from a public safety standpoint. You really do want police and fire fighters to get to you quick when you need them, and you really don't want someone hiding in that space. And then there's the whole intent here in car-centric LA, where street parking is something of a right and the source of endless pitched battles and burning unspoken bitterness over who gets to enjoy those rights, is that people getting out of a car have a place to stand when doing so.

When I first moved in, my hellstrip soil was heavily compacted. I could barely get the tip of the shovel into the soil. It took a long time to remove the collection of weeds and weedy grasses out and plants I wanted in. Now its a constant process of learning which plants will succeed and which won't, and then accepting the outcomes. For some reason, I keep expecting Blue Springs Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus 'Blue Springs') to thrive in that spot, and yet every single one has died within a year. Yet I keep planting them. On the other hand, Four-Nerve Daisy (Tetraneuris aucalis) thrive and reseed.

Tetraneuris aucalis

As I sweep the walk each week, especially now that the Chinese Elm has finally decided to drop its leaves, I think about the things I've learned about planting the hellstrip.

1. People are generally very good about picking up the dog poop. I don't think I've found such a gift my whole time caring for that part of the yard. A lot of writing about hellstrips seems to focus on this problem, but I'm hopeful that dog walking culture has solved that part of the problem. The bigger issue is probably that after dogs take care of business, they tend to get excited and scratch the adjacent soil.

2. The bigger issue with dogs is that they'll piss on those plants. They're in exactly the right spot for a quick spray. Anything planted in this area will need to take this kind of abuse.

Spaeralcea ambigua 'Louis Hamilton' and Eschscholzia californica

3. Most cities encourage or require that trees be planted in the hellstrip. Some trees, like that Chinese Elm I mentioned, have extensive surface root systems and suck up a lot of resources from the soil. When choosing plants, its important to think about root competition and whether they will succeed along with the big tree or trees in that space.

4. As mentioned, cities have guidelines or regulations governing what can be planted in that space. Some require permits to plant anything other than grass. If striking out on your own path, make sure you don't mind if the city comes out and makes you rip it up.

Baileya multiradiata, perfect little landing pads for butterflies.

5. Don't plant anything you'd be afraid to lose....to a city citation or a neighbor tramping through or dog piss or difficult horticultural conditions.  Nothing worse than losing a rare or unusual plant that should of been placed in a safer spot.

Lucky enough to have a telephone pole in my yard, so I've planted stuff that will somewhat hide it, such as this Bahiopsis laciniata and behind that a little Quercus john-tuckeri (not visible) which will be a small tree by the time I'm long gone.

Plants that work in my hellstrip
These are the plants that currently survive and, in some cases, thrive in my hellstrip. In fact, several have self-sown and come up wherever they're happy, often a good sign that you've chosen the best plants for that site. 

• Abutilon palmeri
• Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley'
• Asclepias subulata
• Baccharis pilularis and selections such as 'Pozo Surf'
• Bahiopsis laciniata
• Baileya multiradiata
• Calandrinia menziesii
• Eriogonum giganteum
• Eriogonum parvifolium and its selections such as 'Los Osos Hills'
• Eriogonum wrightii
• Eschscholzia californica...go with species or any of the many color forms
• Galvezia speciosa...particularly successful in the face of root competition
• Rosa californica...if you're feeling particularly vicious
  
• Sphaeralcea ambigua, including selections such as 'Louis Hamilton' 

That Rosa californica is an unusual situation. I'd planted it on the other side of the sidewalk not truly understanding its thuggish nature. The first couple of years, it was very considerate and stayed put. But it then started reaching out and it eventually stretched its roots under the sidewalk and came up in the parkway. It has remained close to the Chinese Elm and comes up in a sprawling Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley.' It isn't a recommended plant because it gets tall and has vicious thorns. They're shaped like hooks, so they sink in.  

If you're particularly concerned about trampling, the Baccharis pilularis is your choice. In late 2016, the new Federal Courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles was planted with several dozen Coyote Bush along the sidewalk. A couple months later, the March for Women brought hundreds of thousands of people Downtown. More than a few of those plants were trod on. Despite that, the plants rebounded and are now quite lush. If they can take one day like that, they can surely take nearly everything that a quiet residential street can throw up.