Sustainable Park Strip Park Three: Design & Plant Selection

Designing a Sustainable Park Strip: Choosing Plants, Trees, and Layouts for Your Eco-Region

In the third installment of our sustainable park strip series, we're diving into the exciting part—design! Now that you’ve done the groundwork (literally) by removing your old lawn and prepping the area, it’s time to choose plants and create a layout that is visually pleasing and eco-friendly. Let’s walk through the key steps to design a park strip that thrives on minimal care and fits perfectly into your local environment.

Step 1: Planning Foot Traffic and Layout

Before diving into plant selection, it's essential to identify where people will walk across your park strip. Thoughtful design avoids bottlenecks and keeps things convenient for visitors and residents.

• Determine crossing areas: Place stepping stones or concrete pavers to create clear paths where people are most likely to walk. This could include areas near the curb where passengers might step out of a car.
• Visual interest: Arrange pavers or stepping stones diagonally or in patterns for an aesthetic touch. Depending on your park strip size, you may need multiple crossing paths.

Step 2: Adding Trees for Structure and Shade

If you don't already have trees, this is the time to add one or two. Trees not only provide shade but also give structure to your design.

• Choosing trees: Many cities offer lists of approved street trees (try going to your favorite search engine and typing in [your city] approved street trees—I'm almost positive you'll find a PDF with a list!)  On this list, look for native trees from this list to support local wildlife. There are typically only a small handful of native options on the approved list, so it becomes really easy to make your decision. 
• Tree placement: Ensure trees are positioned away from potential passenger exits to avoid any awkward limbo under branches. In Part One and Part Two, we discussed design constraints that could arise such as power lines and in-ground utilities. These will also affect your tree placement. You can read about this in finer detail in our earlier posts. 
  Example: A serviceberry tree works well because it offers beautiful blooms, edible berries, and attracts birds—perfect for those wanting to create a thriving mini-ecosystem.

Step 3: Establishing Native Grasses as the Foundation

Think of your park strip as a mini meadow. While trees can provide lovely focal points and shade, native grasses should form the backbone of your design, contributing texture, movement, and year-round interest.

• Size restrictions: In many areas, plants need to stay under 24 inches tall to meet city guidelines. 
• Grasses for Salt Lake City: Idaho blue fescue is a native option with a charming bunching habit, perfect for dry climates.
• Regional alternatives: If you live elsewhere, we’ve curated a list of recommended native grasses by eco-region (East Coast, Midwest, Rocky Mountains, and West Coast) on our website.

Step 4: Adding Flowering Perennials for Color and Interest

To enhance your park strip, introduce flowering perennials that complement your chosen grasses.

• Keep it simple: Stick with two complementary colors—like purple and yellow or blue and orange.
• Example for Salt Lake City: Native asters and soul dancer daisies provide vibrant purple and yellow blooms that blend beautifully with blue fescue.
• Regional recommendations: We’ve included plant suggestions for all regions on our website. For example:
  • East Coast: Purple love grass and Maryland golden aster.
  • Midwest: Echinacea (purple coneflower) and common yarrow.
  • West Coast: California poppies paired with silvery lupine.

Step 5: Filling Gaps with Native Ground Cover

The goal is 100% plant coverage to prevent weeds and minimize maintenance.

• Selecting ground cover: Choose native creeping plants that spread to fill empty spaces.
• Examples: In Salt Lake City, Silverton Blue Mat Penstemon offers lovely blue and white blooms and thrives in dry conditions. Creeping Thyme is another good choice, but always look for native alternatives.
• Why 100% coverage matters: A densely planted park strip acts as natural mulch, suppressing weeds and reducing water loss.

Step 6: Mulching and Waiting for Full Coverage

While plants take a couple of years to fill in completely, wood mulch will help during the transition phase.

• Apply 2 inches of mulch: This will suppress weeds, retain moisture, and reduce maintenance while your plants mature.
• Living mulch: Eventually, your plants will cover the soil entirely, eliminating the need for annual mulching.

Final Thoughts: Match Your Design to Your Site Conditions

The success of your park strip design depends on choosing plants that fit your specific site conditions—like water availability, sun exposure, and soil type. Take time to observe how much light and moisture your strip receives before finalizing your plant list.

• Helpful tip: Visit our website for eco-region plant lists tailored to your area, or book a consultation if you need extra help.

Your Homework: Build Your Plant List

Now that you know how to design your park strip, it’s time to create a plant list! Research native plants for your area under 24 inches tall, check local nurseries for availability, and map out your layout.

In the next and final video, we’ll cover the practicalities of getting your plants in the ground, watering tips, and long-term care strategies. Stay tuned!