Native Plants Make Excellent Additions to Neighborhood Medians

Neighborhood medians are often neglected spaces and make excellent candidates for native perennial gardens!

Steps to establish a native garden in your neighborhood:

• Ask Permission: Check with your HOA/neighborhood leadership group to see if it is okay to start a native garden.

• Remove Weeds: Consider placing cardboard over weedy areas and covering it with mulch about 6 weeks prior to planting. The cardboard will prevent weeds from coming up and over time, it will break down and provide organic material that will enrich the soil.

• Make Plant Selection: Look for native plants that match the sunlight requirements of your median. If your median does not have an irrigation system, make sure to select plants with low water needs. Be sure to select plants that are short enough so they will not create visual barriers that obstruct the view of drivers.

• Make a Plan and Plant: Create a plan for where plants will go. Taller plants should be in the back or middle depending on the median layout.

• Water Plants Until Established: Follow our watering guide in our planting brochure. Establishing native plants can take up to a year.

• Enjoy: Once established, most native plants are drought-tolerant and only need water during extreme drought.