The boulevard (the green space between the road and your property line or sidewalk) can be the perfect spot for a garden. Boulevard gardens beautify our roadsides and well-chosen, non-invasive plants that are designed to retain moisture can reduce water usage and therefore the need to use mowers and fertilizers. Introducing native and diverse plant species can also improve the health of our ecosystem.
For these reasons, the town encourages residents to plant gardens on their boulevards, provided they do not obstruct the vision of drivers or prevent them from viewing traffic in all directions.
Boulevard gardens also need to be designed to prevent soil from washing into the street (and ultimately into rivers or lakes), and the plants chosen need to be able to survive the harsh roadside conditions.
Volunteers from the Master Gardeners and Horticultural Experts from Oakville Horticultural Society; Bronte Horticultural Society, Oakville Master Gardeners and Halton Region Master Gardeners created the lists below to help design a safe and beautiful boulevard garden. Your local garden centre can also provide advice on how to design a hardy, contained and drought-resistant garden.