Surround Your Sidewalk With Color

Take back some precious real estate in your yard and make a garden out of the space around your sidewalk. Notoriously, this area is a challenging spot to garden in—added heat from the concrete, full sun conditions and a location far away from a hose spigot give this space between the sidewalk and curb the nickname “hellstrip.” Isn’t there a part of you itching to make this foreboding place into a fertile land of flowers, texture, aroma and color? Imagine the sense of gratification when you’re welcomed through this passage after a walk around the block.

The key to sidestepping most of this space’s challenges is to use drought-tolerant plants.