One homeowner decided to tackle the notoriously challenging task of gardening in their hellstrip, the area of grass sometimes present between a street and a sidewalk. The result was gorgeous — and they shared photos.
The post appeared in r/NoLawns, a community dedicated to lawn alternatives that save money and benefit the environment. "Converted sidewalk strip to a mixture of flowers," said the original poster, attaching several pictures.
The first photo, they said, was a typical sidewalk strip in their neighborhood, just like theirs was in the beginning. The photo shows the space filled with grass.
"I have hated lawns for at least a decade now; they never made sense to me," the original poster explained in a comment. "In this case, I wanted to try out solarization because I refuse to use chemicals. I watered it heavily, then laid a few tarps over it for about four weeks. It cooked the grass, and after about week three, I could tell it was active because … every time I pulled it back and moved the dead grass to see the soil, there was tons of soil life. After that, I just looked for plants that could be planted from seed in late August [or] early September and be blooming by October."
The second photo shows their garden beginning to take shape. In the photo, white and orange flowers are already beginning to appear.
The third photo shows an endless variety of flowers fully grown in. "Two months later the pollinators are loving life," said the original poster.
As they mentioned, supporting pollinators is one great reason to plant flowers instead of grass. These little bugs do an incredible job of helping vegetables, crops, and native plants to grow.
There is also a wide range of native plant options, which take much less water than grass. This makes them cheaper to maintain.
Finally, you can't ignore how much better flowers look.
🗣️ If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
🔘 Making it look better 🌱
🔘 Saving money on water and maintenance 💰
🔘 Helping pollinators 🐝
🔘 No way I ever get rid of my lawn 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"Was so happy when my 96-year-old neighbor told me how happy the flowers make her," said the original poster. "I hope it starts a trend in the area."
"Looks so good," said a commenter. "What do you plant during the winter, if anything?"
"I will gather seed heads as they form and reseed in the spring," replied the original poster.
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