What to Plant in Alley

Question

There’s a plot of dirt (about 6 ft wide, 4 ft deep) in the alley behind my house next to a dumpster, and people tend to toss large objects (like old couches) there. I want to plant something that will prevent people from dumping anything in that area. I need fast growing, drought tolerant in zone 5 (Denver), wide, takes full sun, minimal care (it is an alley after all) and not expensive. I was thinking putting up a trumpet vine on a trellis or maybe a small evergreen? Thanks.

Answer 1

The trumpet vine is a good idea. You might also like daylilies, sedums, cone flowers, daisies and lamb’s ear. I would avoid the evergreen just because in a location like that a single large plant would present itself as a target and would likely be vandalized. These other plants could take some vandalizing and recover quickly, plus would not present themselves as such an obvious singular target.