Native Plants for Boulevard Gardens: Tough, Tolerant, and Lower-Growing Plants

Boulevard gardens are green spaces along roads, typically between the sidewalk and street, that offer aesthetic, environmental, and functional benefits.

They improve air quality, reduce noise, control erosion, and help to slow and absorb stormwater runoff.

When designing these gardens, it’s essential to choose drought-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and low-maintenance plants that thrive in nutrient-poor and often compacted soils and don’t obstruct views for safety between vehicles and pedestrians.

Lower growing grasses, wildflowers, and groundcovers are recommended to maintain visibility for pedestrians and drivers and for ease of maintenance.

These gardens enhance urban landscapes, support pollinators, and can contribute to bringing native plants back onto the landscape to support healthy ecosystems.

Native Grasses

Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis) – Hardy, low grass with distinctive seed heads; thrives in poor soils (30–60 cm; summer).
June Grass (Koeleria macrantha) – Clump-forming grass with fine, silvery-green foliage and airy seed heads, thriving in dry, well-drained soils (30–60 cm).
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) – Drought-tolerant grass with reddish-brown seed heads and vibrant fall color (60–120 cm). It has winter interest. It can get a little taller so strategically place.
Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis) -A beautiful clumping grass with a purplish hue (30 cm)
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) – Compact, drought-tolerant grass with fine-textured foliage and airy tan seed heads (30–60 cm).
Squirrel-tail Grass/Foxtail Barley (Hordeum jubatum) – A salt-tolerant, short-lived perennial with soft, feathery seed heads in shades of pink, purple and green transitioning to golden hues as they mature. (30-60 cm tall), thrives in poor, well-drained soils.

Wildflowers

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) – Bright orange blooms that attract pollinators; thrives in dry, sunny conditions (30–60 cm; summer).
Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis) – Compact perennial with bright yellow flowers that thrive in tough soils (15–30 cm; early spring).
Cylindrical Blazing Star (Liatris cylindracea) – Produces spikes of individual nectar-rich purple flowers along the stem (40 cm; mid to late summer).
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) – Self-seeding plant with yellow blooms that open at dusk, thriving in dry, poor soils (60–120 cm; summer). For a shorter evening primrose consider the Missouri Primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa) that gets 15-30 cm high, has larger showy yellow blooms and tolerate poor quality soils and dry conditions.
Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) – Low, silvery foliage with fuzzy white flower clusters for dry, rocky soils (15–30 cm; spring).
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) – Showy white flowers on sturdy, drought-tolerant plants (60–90 cm; late spring to summer).
Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus) – Lavender blooms on slender plants that handle dry, rocky soils (30–60 cm; late spring to early summer).
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) – Adds delicate charm and pollinator appeal with its bell-shaped blue flowers (15-50 cm; late spring to early fall).
Heal-all, Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) – Spikes of purple to pink tubular flowers makingan excellent groundcover while attracting pollinators (20-30 cm; mid-late summer)
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) – Striking purple flower spikes on drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plants (30–90 cm; summer to fall).
Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) – Cheerful yellow flowers on hardy, compact plants for dry soils (30–60 cm; late spring to summer).
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) – Aromatic herb with white to purple flower clusters, thriving in dry, well-drained soils (60–90 cm; mid to late summer).
Narrow-Leaved Vervain (Verbena simplex) – A slender plant with purple flowers, thriving in dry, well-drained soils (20–60 cm; summer to fall).
Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum) – Clusters of pink nodding flowers atop slender stems; thrives in dry soils (30–60 cm; summer).
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) – Drought-tolerant perennial with white, papery flowers, thriving in dry, poor soils (30–60 cm; summer).
Prairie Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii) – Delicate clusters of white to pale pink flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer (30-45 cm; late spring to early summer).
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) – Unique pink, feathery seed heads and low-growing foliage for dry sites (30 cm; spring).
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – Pollinator favorite with pink-purple blooms; drought-tolerant and long-blooming (60–120 cm; summer to early fall).
Silky Aster (Symphyotrichum sericeum) – Thrives in well-drained soils, can tolerate poor soils, produces small, pale lavender to pinkish-purple flowers that attract pollinators. (30-60 cm; late summer to fall).
Sundrops (Oenothera pilosella) – Vibrant yellow, cup-shaped blooms on low, sprawling plants (30–60 cm; summer).
Stout Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) – Compact, grass-like plant with blue flowers, thriving in dry, well-drained soils (30–60 cm; late spring to early summer).
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) – Spreading groundcover with edible red berries and white flowers (15–30 cm; spring to summer).
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Tough, low-maintenance perennial with white, flat-topped flowers (30–60 cm; late spring to summer).

Shrubs

Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera) – Dense, low shrub with yellow blooms; thrives in tough, dry soils (30–90 cm; summer).
Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) – Evergreen groundcover with spreading habit and drought tolerance (15–30 cm; year-round interest).
Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) – Compact, spreading shrub with fragrant foliage and small yellow blooms (60–150 cm; spring).
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) – Drought-tolerant shrub with white flower clusters, thriving in dry, poor soils (60–90 cm; late spring to early summer).
Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina) – Compact, thorny shrub with fragrant pink flowers and small red hips, tolerating dry, poor soils (60–90 cm; summer).
Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa) – Bright yellow flowers on hardy, compact shrubs for poor soils (60–120 cm; summer to fall).
Shrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum prolificum) – Bright yellow blooms on drought-tolerant shrubs; ideal for sunny, dry locations (60–120 cm; summer).
Smooth Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) – Low-growing shrub with fragrant pink blooms and red hips, thriving in dry, rocky soils (30–60 cm; summer).