Skip to main content
← All Garden Plans
🦋

Pollinator Garden (Narrow)

A 3×20 ft linear pollinator corridor — simplified but functional

A simplified linear arrangement that still provides bloom succession and pollinator habitat. Creeping thyme along the edges, 2 coneflowers and 2 black-eyed Susans in the middle, and a single tall bee balm anchoring the back center. Less dramatic than the 4-ft plan but still ecologically valuable — even a narrow strip of flowers beats a strip of turfgrass.

Bird's-eye view — scale: ~3 ft wide × 20 ft long
← Sidewalk
SIDEWALK EDGE (low mat)
🌸Creeping Thyme
CENTER (18–30 in)
💜Coneflower ×2
🌻Black-eyed Susan ×2
💙Catmint
STREET SIDE (back center, 3–4 ft)
🌵Sedum
🔴Bee Balm ×1
🌵Sedum
← Street / Curb

Taller plants in the back (street side) stay below the sight-triangle height limit.

Seasonal Care Guide

Spring

March–May
  • •Late Feb: Cut back all dead growth to 4–6 inches
  • •Creeping thyme blooms along edges
  • •Watch for returning perennials

Summer

June–August
  • •Coneflowers and catmint bloom through summer
  • •Bee balm flowers mid-summer — watch for hummingbirds
  • •Shear catmint after first flush for rebloom

Fall

September–November
  • •Sedum and black-eyed Susans carry the fall show
  • •Leave everything standing for winter habitat

Winter

December–February
  • •Enjoy seed heads and winter structure
  • •Thyme and sedum keep some ground-level color
  • •Late Feb: annual cutback

Plant List

Creeping Thyme

Thymus serpyllum
Height
2–4 in
Spacing
8–12 in
Bloom / Harvest
April–May (pink-purple)
Care Notes

Dense groundcover along both edges. Handles foot traffic. First spring bloom. Bees love the tiny flowers.

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea
Height
2–3 ft
Spacing
18 in
Bloom / Harvest
June–August
Care Notes

Two plants provide summer-long color. Leave seed heads for birds. Drought tolerant once established.

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta
Height
2–3 ft
Spacing
12–18 in
Bloom / Harvest
July–October
Care Notes

Fills gaps quickly. Self-seeds for free expansion. Late-season color when coneflowers fade.

Catmint

Nepeta × faassenii
Height
18–24 in
Spacing
18 in
Bloom / Harvest
June–September
Care Notes

Long-blooming gap filler. Shear by half after first flush for rebloom. Extremely heat tolerant.

Bee Balm

Monarda fistulosa
Height
3–4 ft
Spacing
18 in
Bloom / Harvest
July–August
Care Notes

Single tall accent in back center. Hummingbird magnet. Give it space for air circulation in a narrow strip.

Sedum (Stonecrop)

Sedum spp.
Height
4–8 in
Spacing
10–12 in
Bloom / Harvest
Sept–Oct
Care Notes

Fall color and winter interest along the street edge. Virtually indestructible in hell strip conditions.

Maintenance Schedule

  • 1

    Late February: Cut everything to 4–6 inches. The one big job.

  • 2

    June: Shear catmint after first bloom

  • 3

    Year 1: Water 2×/week to establish

  • 4

    Year 2+: Water once/week in drought only

  • 5

    Fall/winter: Do nothing. Leave it alone.

Springfield, MO Tips (Zone 6b)

  • 1

    Even a narrow strip of pollinator plants beats turfgrass for ecological value.

  • 2

    In 3 feet, air circulation matters even more — space plants 18 inches apart to avoid mildew.

  • 3

    One bee balm plant is enough for a narrow strip. More than that crowds the other plants.

  • 4

    Leave plants standing all winter. Cut back in late February only.

  • 5

    Hell strip heat is more intense in a narrow strip — choose the toughest plants. These qualify.

  • 6

    Call 811 before planting. Narrow strips often have shallow utilities.

Get Free Expert Help

The Master Gardeners of Greene County offer free gardening advice to Springfield residents. They can help you adapt this plan to your specific strip — soil type, sun exposure, nearby trees, road salt exposure, and more.

Contact Master Gardeners →

Ready to Plant This?

Add your hell strip on the map and let your neighbors know what's coming.

Add a Garden →