Re: Need ideas for sun-blasted parking strip et al.
Dear Julie,
Another couple of school parking lot planting ideas: succulents like
mesymbrianthus (my Botanica calls them "pigface" but I find them
lovely) which would cascade down the retaining wall. If the wall is
sunny they will bloom all spring through fall. I mention this since I
am writing from Crete where they are in bloom at the moment. They are
low, but extrememly uncomfortable/strange to walk on. They love the
heat and need no watering.
If you prefer a hedge, teucrium fruticans is a unique silvery grey,
velvety, and dense enough to prevent through traffic. No thorns,
either. This blooms here in winter and spring, like rosemary, and the
flowers are very similar in appearance, altho a shade more toward
lavender blue. I have one planted next to felicia (bright blue) and
acanthus (mauve/greenish). Blue irises would look beautiful and
colorful with this combination, too. Good luck!
Karen from Athens
