Protective border barriers were established at three sites in commercial floriculture, and strawberry fields in San Diego County, Calif. These border plantings were used to provide a physical barrier between agricultural fields and adjacent urban development, and to evaluate the effects of border plantings on insect populations, spray drift, and crop/barrier interactions. Border plantings consisted of native plants with overlapping flowering periods to provide nectar and pollen to beneficial insects throughout the year. Yellow sticky traps were used to monitor insect populations, and water sensitive paper was used to evaluate the reduction of spray drift by the border plantings. Results indicate that protective border plantings: 1) can be used to form attractive physical barriers that reduce visual pollution and spray drift; 2) provide habitat for pests as well as beneficial insects; 3) support beneficial insects that may help reduce the population peaks of pest insects during spring and summer months; and 4) have little effect on adjacent crop fields.