Turning a park strip into something beautiful

A park strip is the hardest place in your yard to grow grass. It is four feet wide, it bakes against the pavement, and a sprinkler that covers it also waters the street. It is also the single best candidate for a rebate-funded makeover.

Start with the sprinklers. Cap the heads or convert the zone to drip before you plant anything — otherwise you have just made an expensive bed that is still being watered like lawn.

Keep everything low. Drivers need sight lines and people need to get out of a car without wading through plants. Blue fescue, catmint and sedum all stay under knee height and still look full.

Leave a landing. Two or three stepping stones by the curb keeps the planting from being trampled and makes the whole thing look designed rather than accidental.

Finally, photograph it before, during and after. Utah's turf-replacement programs pay per square foot, and the paperwork is much easier when you already have the pictures.