Hellstrip Plants
To create a low maintenance boulevard garden in the hellstrip, drought tolerant plants are ideal. In northern regions where deicing salts are used heavily, only plants that are salt tolerant will survive. Here are several ideas to get you started but you should also ask your local nursery about drought tolerant native plants to consider.
There are a couple of terms you need to know:
Xeric - adapted to very dry growing conditions
Succulent - a plant that has fleshy stems, often xeric (like a cactus)
Ajuga stepable Zones 3-9 Tolerates dry soil but not drought, light foot traffic
Alyssum Annual Tolerates heat and drought, tolerates poor soil, limited self seeding, fragrant
Amur Maple Zones 3-6 Prefers moist well drained soil, will tolerate dryness
Apache Plume Fallugia paradoxa Zones 4-9 Extremely tough shrub, thrive in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Artemisia ‘Silver Mound’ Artemisia schmidtiana Zones 3-7 Prefers moist well drained soil, tolerates poor soil, moderately drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant
Astilbe Zones 4-8 Prefers part to full shade in moist soil, very salt tolerant. (plant info)
Beautyberry Callicarpa americana Zones 5-8 Tough shrub, slightly drought tolerant, slightly salt solerant, prefers moist and sun to part shade
Big Leaf Hydrangea (Lacecap) Hydrangea macrophylla Zones 5-9 Many Varieties Prefers moist well drained soil, moderately salt tolerant
Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia Zones 4-9 Tough perennial, drought tolerant
Blanket Flower Gaillardia grandifolia Zones 3-10 Drought resistant prairie perennial, blooms heavily, reseeds, highly salt tolerant (plant info)
Blue Fescue Festuca trachyphylla Zones 4-9 Extremely tough perennial grass, thrives in drought and heat, prefers average well drained soil, saline tolerant
Blue Fescue ‘Elijah Blue’ Festuca glauca Zones 4-9 Drought and heat tolerant perennial grass, prefers avaerage well drained soil, moderately salt tolerant
Blue Grama Grass Bouteloua gracilis Zones 3-10 Perennial prairie grass, prefers a good well drained soil, tolerant of dry soil and drought,
Blue Lyme Grass Elymus arenarius Zones 4-10 Perennial grass, prefers moist well drained soil but very tolerant of dry soils, high salt tolerance, spreads agressively.
Bluebeard ‘Dark Knight’ Caryopteris x clandonensis Zones 5-9 Extremely tough shrub, tolerant of drought and heat, saline tolerant
Bottlebrush Callistemon rigidus Zones 8-11 Small xeric tree, very drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant
Butterfly Weed Ascelpias tuberose Zones 3-9 Xeric perennial, thrives in average and dry soil, moderately salt tolerant
California Poppies Zones 7-10 Annual in the north, extremely tough, self seeds, extremely drought tolerant, saline tolerant
Candytuft Iberis sempervirens Zones 7-10 shrub, dieback perennial in the north, thrives in well drained poor soil, very drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant
Canna and hybrids Zones 7-10 annual in the north Slightly drought tolerant, slightly salt tolerant, prefers well drained to moist rich soil.
Catmint Nepata Zones 3-8 Drought tolerant perennial, tolerates poor well drained soil, salt tolerant.
Cinquefoil Potentilla nepalensis (herbaceous sub shrub i.e., ‘Miss Wilmot’) Zones 4-9 Extremely tough perennial, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Coneflower Echinacea Zones 3-9 Tough perennial, tolerates poor soil, drought tolerant, slightly salt tolerant (plant info)
Coral Bells Heuchera micrantha Zones 4-9 Prefers moist well drained rich soil, moderately salt tolerant
Cotoneaster ‘Little Gem’ Cotoneaster adpressus Zones 4-7 Extremely tough shrub, thrives in drought and heat, thrives in poor soil, saline tolerant
Creeping Rosemary ‘Prostratus’ Rosmarinus officinalis Zones 8-10 Extremely tough groundcover, thrives in drought and heat, highly saline tolerant, fragrant.
Creeping Sedum ‘Goldmoss’ and “Golden Stonecrop’ Sedum acre Zones 3-8 Tough perennial groundcover, drought and heat tolerant, stepable, highly salt tolerant.
Creeping Thyme Thymus praecos ssp. Arcticus Zones 4-9 Tough perennial groundcover that stands up to foot traffic, very drought tolerant.
Cushion Phlox Phlox subulata Zones 3-8 Tolerates poor and dry soil, light foot traffic
Daffodil Narcissus Prefers sun to part shade, slightly salt tolerant, and drought tolerant as it is dormant after spring bloom.
Daylily Hemerocallis species and hybrids Zones 3-9 Tough perennial, drought tolerant, highly salt tolerant, sun or some shade
Daylily ‘Stella de Oro’ Hemerocallis Zones 3-9 Drought tolerant perennial, somewhat tolerant of poor soil, moderately salt tolerant
Dianthus Pulminarius x allwoodii Zones 4-9 Drought tolerant perennial, high salt tolerance. (plant info)
Dusty Miller Annual, tolerates poor soil, requires moist soil.
Flax Linum Zones 3-9 Drought resistant perennial, reseeds
Forsythia Forsythia x intermedia Shrub, will tolerate poor well drained soil, drought resistant, moderately salt tolerant
Fountain Grass Pennisetum alopecuroides Zones 5-9, annual further north, prefers moist soil, will tolerate poor well drained soil, moderately salt tolerant
Four o’clocks Self seeding annual, thrives in poor soil, drought tolerant
Foxglove Digitalis Zones 4-8 Self seeding biennial, prefers part shade, will tolerate dry soil, moderately salt tolerant.
Gazania ‘Tanager’ Gazania krebsiana Zones 7-10 Extremely tough perennial, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant.
Globe Thistle Echinops nanaticus Zone 3-8 Thrives in nearly any soil, drought resistant perennial
Hakone Grass Hakonecloa macra Zones 5-9 Perennial grass, prefers part shade and moist rich soil, salt tolerant.
Hardy Hibiscus Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus coccineus Perennia., prefers moist well drainted soil, prefers sun to light shade, slightly salt tolerant
Hardy Ice Plant Delosperma cooperi and Delosperma nubigenum Zones 5-9 Xeric succulent, drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant
Hen and Chicks Sempervivum tectorum Zones 3-11 Very tough, very drought resistant xeric succulent, moderately salt tolerant
Hummingbird Mints (Hyssop) Agastaches Zones 5-10 Perennial, prefers well drained poor soil, drought tolerant (plant info)
Hummingbird Plant Dicliptera suberecta Zones 7-11 Perennial, prefers well drained enriched soil, heat and drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant.
Hummingbird Trumpet (California Fuschia) Zauwchneria californica Zones 8-10 Extremely tough xeric perennial, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Indian Hawthorn Rhaphiolepis indica Zones 7-10 Perennial, tolerates poor soil, tolerates drought, moderately salt tolerant.
Iris Zones 3-9 Perennial, tolerates drought
Juniper ‘Blue Pacific’ Juniperus conferta Zones 5-9 Xeric evergreen groundcover, prefers well drained soil, tolerates poor soil, highly salt tolerant.
Lantana Lantana camara and Lantana montevidensis Zones 9-11 Drought tolerant perennial, xeric, highly salt tolerant
Lantana ‘Trailing Lavender’ Lantana montevidensis Zones 8-11 Extremely tough perennial ground cover, thrives in drought and heat, tolerates nearly any soil condition, salt tolerant.
Lavender Zones 5-9 Drought tolerant perennial, prefers dry well drained soil, fragrant
Lead Plant Amorpha canescens Extremely tough perennial wild flower, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Liriope spreading Liriope spicata Zones 5-10 Grass like perennial, full sun to full shade, prefers moist to well drained average soil, highly salt tolerant groundcover, spreads aggressively.
Liriope Liriope muscarii Zones 6-10 Grass like perennial, light to full shade, prefers moist to well drained average soil, drought and heat tolerant, highly salt tolerant groundcover
Maiden Grass ‘Morning Light’ Miscanthus sinensis Zones 5-8 Xeric tough perennial grass, prefers moist well drained soil, highly salt tolerant.
Manzanita Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Zones 5-10 Extremely tough shrubby groundcover, prefers poor soil, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia Annual, requires well drained soil, drought tolerant, prefers sandy poor soil, reseeds,
Muhly Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris Zones 5-10 Xeric perennial grass, prefers well drained poor soils, drought tolerant, highly salt tolerant.
Penstemon Zones 3-8 Perennial, thrives in well drained gravely soil, drought resistant
Peony Requires moist enriched, well drained soil, moderately salt tolerant
Pinelieaf Penstemon Penstemon pinifolius Zones 4-9 Extremely tough xeric perennial, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Pinks Dianthus Dianthus gratianopolitanus Zones 4-9 Drought tolerant perennial, prefers well drained to xeric soil, moderately salt tolerant (plant info)
Prairie Coneflower Ratibida pinnata Zones 3-9 Extremely tough perennial, requires well drained soil, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Red Hot Poker Kniphofia species and hybrids Zones 6-10 Perennial, requires well drained, moist soil, does not tolerate heat and drought without water, slightly salt tolerant
Red Yucca Hesperaloe parviflorashe (this is not a yucca, but has a similar appearance) Zones 7-10 Extremely tough perennial, prefers dry sandy soil, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Reed Grass ‘Karl Foerster’ Calmagrostis acutifolia Zones 3-9 Perennial grass, prefers moist fertile soil but tolerates dry sandy soil, thrives in clay, high salt tolerance
Ribbon Grass Phalaris arundinacea Zones 4-9 Perennial grass, tolerates nearly any soil and condition, slightly salt tolerant, very invasive
Rock Rose Cistus sp Zones 8-10 Perennial, tolerates dry rocky soil, drought tolerant, salt tolerant
Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus Zones 5-8 Shrub, prefers moist well drained enriched soil, moderately salt tolerant
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis Zones 8-10 Extremely tough perennial, thrives in drought and heat, highly saline tolerant, fragrant.
Ruby Grass Melinus nerviglumis Zones 8-11 Drought tolerant perennial grass, adaptable
Rugosa Rose Zones 3-7 Shrub rose, prefers moist well drained enriched soil, but is highly adaptable, very high salt tolerance. Easy care shrub rose. (plant info)
Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia Zones 3-9 Extremely tough perennial, thrives in drought and heat, slightly salt tolerant, fragrant
St John’s Wort ‘Beach’ Hypericum reductum Zones 7-9 Xeric perennial groundcover, prefers full sun, well drained to dry soil, drought tolerant, slightly salt tolerant.
‘Salt Survivor’ turf grass by Northrup King. Drought tolerant, resists disease, stands up to heavy foot traffic, for high saline soils or road salt damaged turf. (I personally am not crazy about the grasses in the mix, but definitely worth a try in high salt boulevards.)
Salvia ‘Mojave Sage’ Salvia pachyphylla Zones 5-10 Extremely tough perennial, requires well drained soil, xeric, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Sand Cherry ‘Pawnee Buttes’ Prunus pumila var besseyi Zones 3- 8 Groundcover shrub Extremely tough, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant
Sandwanka Viburnum Viburnum suspensum Zones 8-10 Shrub, tolerates heat, tolerates poor soil, high salt tolerance.
Sea Holly Eryngium planum Zones 3-11 Extremely tough perennial, thrives in drought and heat, moderately salt tolerant
Sea Lavender Limomium latifolium Zones 4-11 Perennial, prefers sandy soil, tolerates wind, moderately salt tolerant.
Sea Thrift Armeria maritime Zones 4-8 Perennial, prefers well drained poor soil, high salt tolerance.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum spectabile Zones 4-9 Perennial, tough, drought tolerant but prefers regular watering, moderately salt tolerant.
Silver Buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea Zones 3-9 Extremely tough shrub, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant.
Smoke tree Zones 4-8 Very tough small tree, adapts to poor soil, drought tolerant
Snow in summer Cerastium tomentosum Zones 3-7 Extremely tough perennial groundcover, prefers poor well drained soil, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant.
Spring Blooming Bulbs including crocuc, daffodil, tulip (especially specis tulips), and hyacinth are very summer drought tolerant. They only need spring rain and go dormant after blooming. Daffodil is also slightly salt tolerant.
Trident Maple Zones 5-8 Small Tree, will tolerate poor soil, drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant.
Turk’s Cap Malvaviscus drummondii Zones 7- Perennial, prefers well drained soil, tolerant of poor soil, drought tolerant, moderately salt tolerant.
Verbena Verbena canadensis Zones 6-9 Perennial, prefers sun to light shade, moist to well drained, slightly salt tolerant
Vinca Vinca Minor Zones 4-9 Perennial ground cover, prefers part shade, prefers moist well drained enriched soil but will adapt to average soil, salt tolerant.
Wildflowers prefers well drained but average to poor soil, drought tolerant.
Winter Creeper Euonymous fortunei Zones 5-9 Evergreen broad leaf groundcover shrub, prefers full sun, prefers well drained soil, prefers regular watering, highly salt tolerant,
Wintergreen Barberry Berberis julianae Zones 6-8 Evergreen shrub, adapts to soil conditions, drough tolerant, prefers sun to part shade, moderately salt tolerant.
Yarrow ‘Paprika’ Achillea Zones 3-8 Extremely tough perennial, prefers enriched well drainedd soil, thrives in drought and heat, saline tolerant. (plant info)
Yarrow common, Zones 3-8 Perennial, very tough, tolerates poor soil, drought resistant, xeric, moderately salt tolerant (plant info)
Yucca Yucca gloriosa and Yucca aloifolia Zones 6-9 Xeric perennial, very drought tolerant, high salt tolerance.
Yucca ‘Adam’s Needle’ Yucca filamentosa Zones 5-19 Pernnial, very adaptable to soil and moisture conditions, drough tolerant, moderately salt tolerant.
Zinnia Zinnia angustifolia Annual, very tough, thrives in poor sandy soil, drought tolerant.
Caution: highly invasive plants that should not be used: Ribbon Grass Phalairis arundinacea, Amur Silver Grass/Hardy Pampas Grass Miscanthus sacchariflorus
Visit High Country Gardens website, “Beautiful Plants for the Waterwise Garden” for more ideas.