Your next gardening project might be hiding in plain sight. That thin strip of land between the curb and the sidewalk is called a parking strip — and while they're fairly ubiquitous, especially in less congested and suburban areas, they tend to be an underutilized part of any landscape.
But one landscaper and native habitat enthusiast was determined to convert them into pollinator havens. Sharotonin (@sharotoninpdx) posted a video on TikTok explaining how she makes the most of her own parking strip.
@sharotoninpdx One thing I forgot to mention - make sure you have paths, so people can walk through your parking strip. I placed down some paving stones before I started planting. Also: forgive yourself if not all of your plants survive. Because native plants evolved with the local ecosystem for millions of years, they are easier to maintain than exotic plants. But all kinds of gardening is full of trial and error. So just enjoy the process, learning from what went wrong, and keep growing native plants! #nativeplants #nativehabitat #pollinators ♬ original sound - Sharotonin
"Watch me turn my parking strip into something useful for native wildlife," she enthuses.
First, she demonstrates how she removes the grass and chooses three species of native plants based on how much sunlight the area receives.
"Native plants are very forgiving, but it's still good to give them the best shot to thrive," she explains, showing how she mixes sand and gravel into her heavy clay soil to disperse water throughout the area.
Then, she says, simply sit back and watch them grow. "You just turned a pollinator work into a pollinator pathway!" she says. And even if they don't all survive, she emphasizes, that's okay: "Gardening is full of trial and error. So just enjoy the process, learning from what went wrong, and keep growing native plants!"
Utilizing native plants to rewild outdoor spaces and yards doesn't just make them prettier — it helps improve the health of the entire ecosystem.
Native plants are key food sources and habitats for pollinators, who form the base of any healthy food system. In fact, approximately one-third of all the food that humans eat only exists because of pollinators.Â
Cultivating a biologically diverse, thriving native landscape also allows for the natural checks and balances of that ecosystem to thrive, from keeping soils healthy to maintaining stable predator-prey ratios. It's a far more effective and healthy approach to landscaping than installing a monoculture of grass or, even worse, invasive plants like ivy and bamboo.
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Good driving range 🔋 "I'm not sure why this isn't just the norm," Sharotonin muses.
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Fortunately, it is becoming the norm as more and more people learn about the benefits of "anti-lawn" rewilding.
Commenters praised her valuable efforts.
"Wow, good work out there! Those plants are well loved," one said.
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