Every gardener has a spot in the yard that feels impossible, a place where the soil is stubborn, the sun is relentless, and nothing seems to thrive. For me, it was my hellstrip.

So, what exactly is a hellstrip?

Depending on where you live, this narrow strip of land between the sidewalk and the street might also be called a parkway or easement. In Dallas, it is part of the public right-of-way, but homeowners are responsible for maintaining it. Parkway widths vary from one street and neighborhood to another, so before making changes, it is always a good idea to check local guidelines or HOA requirements.

For many gardeners, it is also the place where we throw up our hands and wonder, “What on earth am I supposed to do with this strip?”

For years, I fought to keep grass alive in my west-facing hellstrip. Like many owners of older homes, I do not have an irrigation system. I resodded, watered by hand after work, and edged along the curb in the afternoon heat. No matter what I did, the grass always looked tired by August. Eventually, I realized I was fighting a losing battle.

I became so frustrated that I even caught myself wondering whether anyone would notice if I replaced the grass with artificial turf. I would never actually do it, but I was desperate for something that looked alive through the summer.

The problem was not the space itself. It was the plants I kept insisting belonged there.

Giving up on the grass was not the end of the story. It was the beginning of one of the most rewarding transformations in my landscape. I stopped fighting the site and started gardening in harmony with it.

Understanding the Hellstrip Challenge

Hellstrips are among the toughest places to garden in North Texas. Between reflected heat from the sidewalk and street, compacted soil, blazing afternoon sun, and limited rainfall reaching the roots, plants must be exceptionally tough to thrive.

I mowed the grass one final time, removed as much as I could, and sheet mulched the area with cardboard and thick layers of newspaper to smother what remained. Then I began researching drought-tolerant perennials that could handle full Texas sun. My goal was simple: find plants that could survive in one of the toughest growing conditions in my landscape. If they also attracted butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, that would be an added bonus.

My first planting was modest: a flat of pink skullcap, a few coneflowers, and some catmint. As time and budget allowed, I added more. Before long, my hellstrip became a trial garden of sorts, a survival-of-the-fittest experiment.

Those original plants turned out to be some of the very best choices I ever made. The pink skullcap and catmint are still thriving today, and I have divided them countless times to fill empty spaces throughout the hellstrip. The coneflowers happily reseed themselves, creating drifts of blooms each spring and summer. They proved that the right plant in the right place really does make all the difference.

If a plant could not survive scorching summers, harsh western sun, periods of drought, and our unpredictable winter freezes with very little supplemental care, it did not earn a permanent place. I do hand-water during prolonged dry spells, but without a sprinkler system, only the toughest plants thrive in the hellstrip.

Storms, Setbacks, and Starting Over

Like many Dallasites, I will never forget the tornado of October 20, 2019. My home sat directly in its path. Thankfully, the house sustained only minor damage, but the garden was not as fortunate. Two mature trees lost their canopies, and storm debris covered the yard. Neighbors and volunteers from a nearby church arrived with chainsaws to help clear the fallen trees.

There was so much debris that the only place to pile it was along the entire length of my hellstrip while we waited weeks for city crews to make their way through the neighborhood. When the debris was finally hauled away, most of my carefully chosen plants disappeared with it. It was disappointing, but I knew I could start again.

The most pleasant surprise has been the response from my neighbors. One spring, a passerby stopped to tell me the garden looked like Easter because it was bursting with color. Another neighbor admired it so much that she created a hellstrip garden of her own, and we have since become gardening friends. A fellow Dallas County Master Gardener often walks by with friends and proudly points out my little hellstrip garden. Those moments remind me that gardens do more than support pollinators. They spark conversations, inspire others, build community, and sometimes even create new friendships.

Rebuilding the Hellstrip

A few months later, the COVID-19 shutdown arrived. With unexpected time at home, I returned to the garden. I divided existing plants to stretch my budget. As restrictions eased, trips to North Haven Gardens became a form of plant therapy, and I usually came home with one new plant to test in the hellstrip.

Little by little, the garden filled in again.

A Habitat Takes Shape

As the years passed, I realized I had unintentionally created a thriving pollinator garden. Butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds, and other beneficial insects became regular visitors. What began as a practical solution to a difficult gardening problem had become one of the most ecologically valuable parts of my landscape.

As a teacher, I had already certified my school’s garden as both a Monarch Waystation and a Certified Wildlife Habitat. The process was much simpler than I expected, and it seemed only natural to certify my own yard as well. By then, my hellstrip was already providing nectar and shelter for pollinators throughout the growing season.

Today, the hellstrip is probably the most photographed part of my landscape. Some plants have come and gone over the years, while others have proven themselves to be true Texas champions. It remains my trial garden. Plants either thrive there or make room for something better.

Plants That Have Proven Themselves

Not every plant survived my trial garden, but the following earned a permanent place by thriving through Texas heat, drought, winter freezes, and everything in between.

After six years of trial and error, these are the plants that have proven themselves in one of the toughest growing conditions in my landscape.

Bee balm (Monarda fistulosa, ‘Peter’s Purple,’ ‘BeeMine Lavender,’ ‘Raspberry Wine,’ and ‘Midnight Oil’)
A clump-forming perennial with colorful blooms that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Calylophus
A low, sun-loving native with bright yellow blooms that thrives in hot, dry, rocky soil.

Candytuft
A spring-blooming perennial that forms neat mounds of white flowers and tolerates reflected heat surprisingly well.

Catmint
A long-blooming, drought-tolerant perennial that stays tidy and aromatic while attracting clouds of bees.

Clasping heliotrope
A resilient Texas native annual that reseeds lightly and draws a wide range of pollinators.

Coneflower, especially Tennessee coneflower
A sturdy, upright perennial that thrives in full sun and reseeds to create natural drifts of summer color.

Gregg’s blue mistflower
A powerhouse butterfly plant, especially for Queens and Monarchs, that spreads gently and blooms reliably.

Henry Duelberg salvia
A Texas Superstar® known for thriving in heat, poor soil, and drought while blooming from spring through fall.

Augusta Duelberg salvia
A white-flowered counterpart to Henry Duelberg that offers the same toughness and long-season pollinator value.

Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa and ‘Hello Yellow’)
A compact, sun-loving milkweed that supports Monarch caterpillars and produces bright clusters of summer blooms.

Pink and purple skullcap
A compact, heat-loving perennial that handles extreme drought and blooms for months.

Salvia nemorosa cultivars (‘Blue Hills,’ ‘Blue Marvel,’ ‘Caradonna,’ ‘May Night,’ ‘Pink Marvel,’ ‘Pink Profusion’)
Reliable, upright salvias that provide dense spikes of color, excellent drought tolerance, and strong pollinator appeal.

Sandpaper verbena
A tough, spreading perennial with textured foliage and clusters of purple blooms that persist through summer heat.

Snake herb
A low, spreading native groundcover with small lavender flowers that thrives in full sun and poor soil.

Stick verbena
A tall, airy verbena that reseeds lightly and draws butterflies from across the neighborhood.

Winecup (Callirhoe involucrata)
A sprawling native perennial with vivid magenta blooms that thrives in hot, dry conditions and fills gaps gracefully.

Woolly Stemodia (Stemodia lanata)

A low-growing, sun-loving Texas native with soft, silvery foliage that thrives in hot, dry conditions and makes an excellent drought-tolerant groundcover.

Maintenance I Actually Enjoy

There is no such thing as a maintenance-free garden, and my hellstrip is no exception. The difference is that I actually enjoy this kind of maintenance. Instead of mowing and edging every week, I leave the plants standing through winter to provide habitat for beneficial insects and add interest to the landscape. Once the danger of hard freezes has passed, I cut back the previous year’s growth and tidy the garden for spring. Throughout the year, I divide established plants to fill bare spots, occasionally add something new to test, and pull the occasional weed. For me, it is far more enjoyable than mowing, edging, watering, and replacing struggling turf.

The biggest reward, however, is not the reduced maintenance.

It is watching butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators visit a space that once produced little more than frustration.

Your hellstrip does not have to look like mine. Depending on the look you are going for, it can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like. You might prefer a xeriscape with a few carefully chosen plants and gravel, or you may choose to create a pollinator paradise filled with blooms from spring through fall. The beauty of a hellstrip garden is that it can be designed to fit your style, your budget, and the amount of maintenance you want to do.

After six years, this challenging strip is no longer a problem to solve. Instead, I wonder why I waited so long to transform it. What I once dreaded maintaining is now one of my favorite places in the garden, overflowing with flowers, pollinators, and life.

If you are considering transforming your own hellstrip, think about certifying your landscape as a Monarch Waystation or a Certified Wildlife Habitat. The process is much simpler than you might expect, and it helps neighbors understand that your garden is intentionally designed to support wildlife. You can also add your property to the Homegrown National Park® map and join a growing movement of gardeners turning overlooked spaces into thriving habitats.

Sometimes the most troublesome part of the yard becomes the one that teaches us the most.

Happy gardening!

Author’s Note

This article would not have been written without the encouragement of Roseann Ferguson, the Dallas County Master Gardeners’ Propagation Queen. For years, she encouraged me to share my experience creating a hellstrip garden. Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge, for always taking the time to answer my many plant questions, and for encouraging me to put my experience into words. I have learned so much from you.

Educational Resources

Penn State Extension: Creating a Hellstrip Garden
Research-based guidance on soil compaction, heat load, moisture challenges, and right-of-way considerations. A strong foundation for gardeners working with difficult urban sites.
https://extension.psu.edu/creating-a-hellstrip-garden

National Wildlife Federation: Garden for Wildlife
Clear, accessible information on how small planting areas support pollinators and birds. Useful for explaining the ecological value of replacing turf with native plants.
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife

Xerces Society: Pollinator Conservation in Urban Spaces
Evidence-based recommendations for creating resilient pollinator habitat, including plant lists and maintenance tips suited to tough locations.
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation

City of Dallas: Right-of-Way Guidelines
Local information on sightlines, utility access, and planting height requirements to ensure hellstrip gardens remain safe and compliant.
https://dallascityhall.com (search “right-of-way guidelines”)

About the Author

Nicole Jones is a teacher, Dallas County Master Gardener, and Texas Master Naturalist. She enjoys gardening at home, experimenting with resilient Texas plants, and sharing the joy of gardening with her students through hands-on outdoor learning.