Green Streets Plant Palettes

In Arlington, green streets are planted with species native to Northern Virginia. Native plants support local wildlife, don’t require inputs of fertilizer or pesticides, and are typically low maintenance. However, only certain native plants can handle the unique growing conditions in a green street rain garden.

• The soil in a rain garden is very sandy and low in the organic matter plants need to grow. The sandy soil helps water filter quickly into the ground, but the rain garden also dries out quickly between rains. Rain garden plants must be able to withstand drought periods and the short periods when the rain garden is full with ponding water during a rainstorm.
• Plants must be tolerant of pollution and salt that will wash into the rain garden during storms.
• For safety, rain garden plants must also be low-growing (less than 4 feet in height; plants can’t be higher than 2.5 feet above the curb; rain gardens are typically dug lower than surface level).
  
  

Wild bergamot appears in the Patrick Henry Drive green street rain garden.

Sunny Meadow

• Two native grasses: broomsedge, little bluestem or northern sea oats
• One shrub: Virginia sweetspire “little Henry” or inkberry “shamrock”
• Swamp milkweed
• Wild bergamot
• Slender mountain mint
• Thin-leaved sunflower or black-eyed Susan
• Obedient plant

Shrub and Wildflower Garden

• Arrowwood viburnum “blue muffin”
• Winterberry “red sprite” or inkberry “shamrock”
• Purple coneflower
• Smooth white beardtongue
• Black-eyed Susan
• Smooth blue aster or New York aster
• One native grass: broomsedge, switchgrass or northern sea oats

Bright and Bold

• One shrub: winterberry “red sprite” or fragrant sumac “gro-low” 
• Switchgrass or common rush
• Purple coneflower
• Blazing star
• Cardinal flower
• Black-eyed Susan
• Summer phlox

Shade Garden

• Arrowwood viburnum “blue muffin”
• Golden ragwort
• White or pink turtlehead
• Blue wood sedge
• Cardinal flower
• Common boneset