Due to grade/groundwater problems, the foundation planting bed in front of my condo is gone and I'm left with a vent pipe and blacktop right up to the siding.

I tried massing containers of various sizes but there is a lot of foot traffic here and and people started stealing them within an hour of my placing them out there. Plus, last summer the pavement started to crack and sprout thistles - ugh!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions? I don't have much gardening experience and what I am familiar with are alpine shade plants and dealing with clay soil so this is totally foreign to me.

I've been wondering if it would be feasible to build three shallow "beds" out of railroad ties; fill them with burlap tubes full of soil; spread mulch, pebbles or other camouflage over that and then cut holes in and plant shallow rooted ground covers and herbs. What do you think?