This is an example of how nice an urban ‘hellstrip’ can be. It’s just to the west of the Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution. I took this photo in the last few days of September.
I think they are all American native plants. I see a fine grass I can’t identify (just visible in the top photo), goldenrod (‘Fireworks’?), amsonia (I think), and the seedheads of purple coneflower.
I like the arrangement of squares of a single species, one after another, rather than all of the plants in one long mix. It goes well with the surrounding architecture.
Sometimes I save a weed if its leavesare spread fern-like, hand-like,or if it grows with a certain impertinence.I let the goldenrod stay and the wild asters.I save the violets in spring. People who kill violetswill do anything.— Ann Struthers, from “Planting the Sand Cherry“
enclos*ure 
This is much like millennium park in Chicago, with their beautiful prairie garden.
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Chicago also has those wonderful planting beds running down the middle of sections of Michigan Ave.
So nice to see alternatives to grass in those hell strips.
This one is so pretty and healthy looking. I think the credit goes to the Smithsonian’s horticulture department.
“People who will kill violets will do anything.” Wonderful quote and hellstrip! I have a pair of tiny cloisonne vases that belonged to my grandmother and each spring I can’t wait til I can fill one with a bouquet of white violets and the other with purple.
They’re so pretty — and pretty darn hard to get rid of anyway. Better to have a lawn of violets.
I loved Mark’s photos of the fall leaves, BTW.
[…] October, I posted two photos of a nice hellstrip along the west side (12th Street, N.W.) of the Smithsonian’s Museum of […]