Does your city or town have some? What is in them? Do you admire them, hate them, envy them, feel sad for them? Bonus points for pics!

We have several median plantings, cul de sac plantings and greenbelt entrance plantings. Some are better than others. Usually there are natural tree landscape, crepe myrtles, Saucer Magnolia, sun tolerant perennials, Foxtail fern, Variegated Shell Ginger, Dwarf Bottlebrush, roses, Society Garlic, bulbine, etc. that come back every year. They also plant annuals in some entrance ways that get changed out frequently as the heat deems.

HOA jumps on Homeowners' backs for lawns that are 1/2" too long while the City only mows every 2 weeks. If it is raining that day, too bad. They keep on schedule and come back 2 weeks later. You can imagine how some of our medians look during rainy weeks. IDK why they can't make medians look as nice as the parks are maintained.

Down the street is a greenbelt entrance. One year, they spent some money and put in some nice landscaping there but never tended to it. At last look, it was full of weeds. I will try to get a photo of it today. Now, you know, if I lived next door to one of those greenbelt entrances, it would be maintained AND watered! I maintain the greenbelt forest as it is.

Cheryl, I look forward to your pics, especially the greenbelt entrance. TY for the interesting post. When I was a kid we lived in a neighborhood with "common area" between the back yards. Is that akin to what you're referring to as greenbelt? That's much more vast than planters on street corners, and interesting to hear about the landscaping there too.

Yes, our Greenbelts are 75+ miles of protected forests (mostly) with paved tails running through the middle that give safe access to schools and some shopping without having to walk major streets. We also have no sidewalks. We are lucky to live in front of a Greenbelt, hence it's "My Forest" as you might hear me talk about from time to time. Nothing will ever be built behind us.

But we do have many landscaped street medians and cul de sac Islands that the City of Houston cares for. The Greenbelt entrances are maintained by our Homeowners / Trails Association through our due$. The ones by the park are maintained by the City Parks Dept. Ours by our house has just has been overlooked for too long. I think we will report it. We all pay Association Fees. There is no reason for them to ignore it. Pics to follow.

Greenbelt Trail behind our house


A pretty typical Greenbelt Entrance


Park Greenbelt Entrance


Ignored Greenbelt Entrance by our house




On the Greenbelt, behind our house, looking at our house. Where the Poison Ivy lives!!

We have a 'greenbelt' type thing, a paved bike/walk path formerly train track bed. Parts have grass alongside. In the grass a number of 6 by 8 or so beds that individuals or groups can apply to garden in. Big mix of nice to abandoned conditions. big challenge in that you would have to bring any water they get. I'm currently filling a small bed at our community playground. I'll confess, I too am much more interested in the planting than the going back to maintain...

So most of the ones by the bike path are either boring or sad due to challenge of keeping up with something not in your own yard. And the total lack of consistency one to the next, with condition, plants, everything, does nothing for them.

I'd like to see the county fill them with pollinator plants, now. Or food plants, let everyone steal what they like. Really, a couple cherry tomato plants, you can never eat all they produce lol.

In my area, what seems best to me are things like daylilies, sedum, black eyed susans... standbys that fend for themselves and don't need much but getting rid of old stems in late winter.

Well, wait, we do have some huge planters in the 'town center' that were pretty last year. Gov't maintained, so a different thing going on.

I'm having trouble getting attention to our closest greenbelt entrance. The landscaped bed has not been maintained. It's now covered in dead plants, ant beds, and weeds. Much contrast to the well manicured greenbelt bed just across the street. It is just far away enough from me to make it a problem for me to bring all the gardening tools I need. Besides, in principle, residents pay $100's of dollars per year for it to be maintained. Dilemma for me only because I can't stand looking at it.

I'm having a problem in that I'm worried people will think I'm either just lurking or some type of spy.

I can NOT remember to bring camera to work with me.