Your Hellstrip may be located in a parking strip, a narrow bed alongside a driveway, or even a tiny front yard. California’s summer-dry climate makes water-wise designs particularly appealing for these semi-public fragments of property, which are too narrow for usable lawns. Yet they can host a myriad of plants which will add beauty and provide ecological services.

Evelyn Hadden, author of Hellstrip Gardening, lays out strategies for addressing common challenges including street trees, poor soil, laws and covenants, unsightly equipment, pedestrian traffic, and more. With inspiring examples, she showcases creative solutions and highlights curbside-worthy plants.