Designing a Hellstrip Garden, Part 2

These plants are perfect for a low-maintenance area

After reviewing the current state of my hellstrip , I ’m happy with the progression that all the flora are making and with how many are thriving , self - seeding , and fill in the quad . Watching and keep one ’s garden is an intact part of its success .

I recently expanded this domain , and I ’m very pleased with these new additions . As with previous planting , I ’m watering to establish the new plant during the first year and then letting them survive on seasonal rainwater thereafter . Also , my works spacing is closer than is usually suggested because without supplementary watering and fertilizer , plant life are typically smaller and less robust in the harsher environs of a hellstrip .

‘ Margarita BOP ’ foothill penstemon(Penstemon heterophyllus‘Margarita BOP ’ , Zones 6–10 ) is a bad , long - blooming perennial . It has beautiful green leaves and brilliant puritanical flowers that bloom all summer long with light deadheading . genus Penstemon are typically drouth patient of once shew . I ’m watering this plant once a week until late summertime , then doubly per week to ensure it gets well established for next year when it will encounter no supplemental water . There are of course many other penstemons available , and I have had gravid success with them in other part of my summertime - dry garden . The hellstrip will be a capital test of their daring . Also , they resent declination cleanup , so I will leave all leafage to help protect the crowns during the winter . A brightness level cut back of 6 to 8 inches in leaping after unexampled growth starts should be enough . The rock candy stars of the hellstrip are plants in the mint family , Lamiaceae . Their ambrosia is a surefire attractor of hummingbirds and other pollinators . In my garden , these plants are always swim with honeybee , small aboriginal bees , and humblebee .

VIBE ® Ignition Purple salvia(Salvia×jamensis‘Ignition Purple ’ , Zones 7–11 ) is a semi - woody repeated spittle with beautiful non-white purple - lipped blossom that are a real standout in a summer - teetotal garden . This is a of course occurring crossbreed of mint sage ( Salvia microphylla , Zones 7–10 ) and autumn sage ( Salvia greggii , Zones 6–9 ) . I ’ve grown other type of salvia — the well - get it on ‘ Hot Lips ’ lot sage ( Salvia microphylla‘Hot Lips ’ , Zones 7–10 ) , for example — but I was looking for a different colour to complement my wan lily-livered pincushion flush ( Scabiosaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) . This saliva has brittle arm , so it does better in the center of the hellstrip rather than the border , where passers - by could inadvertently die some of the branches .

‘ Heronswood Mist ’ hummingbird mint(Agastache rugosa‘Heronswood Mist ’ , Zones 7–10 ) is a wonder for the hellstrip . These plants make out in a rainbow of colors to beseem your garden ’s colour pallet . This cultivar has awe-inspiring dark purple flower spikes that will flower all summer in a watered garden but in a hellstrip will have only one flush and then light reblooming through the summer . This hummingbird hatful does like more water than California and Mexico - develop agastaches , as it is to begin with from Asia . I ’ve planned this plant to be in a shadier section of my hellstrip . I have others that are very successful in other parts of my garden , and I love trying to experiment with newfangled cultivar . These wonderfully aromatic , herbaceous plants are a great addition to any garden . Their leaf loose a wonderful scent when brush and release sweet oils naturally during the heat of former summertime . As the common name indicates , they are a day-and-night hummingbird attractor .

I hope this and previous hellstrip planting suggestion encourage you to try out with this style of gardening . Designing a low - maintenance hellstrip without supplemental water does seem to be obstinate to what we have all learned about horticulture . It is a jump of faith , but one that is well worth experimenting with .

Jason Jorgensen is a landscape painting designer in Seattle , Washington .

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