Climate? Soil?

Thanks for responding bboy! I know you know your stuff, and I read your responses all the time. We're in Lacey, and I'm not sure about the soil. I guess I should check. I know the soil was excavated when they put in the gym. The site is terraced down from the gym and the court is lower still. The strip runs north-south on the east side of the gym. Also, I forgot to add, this is a struggling private school so I want to keep plant prices as low as I can.

If plants to be crushed no point in wasting them there. Maybe cover the soil with stones instead. Otherwise you would have to buy ones big and tough enough not to be broken or trampled.

Or put a substantial fence around them.

It is up and out of the way enough that they won't get walked on too much. Stray basketballs from the court will invariably bounce up there and either get stuck or hopefully roll back onto the court. Is there a ground cover that takes foot traffic that might work-with something taller at the back? We had shrubs once with big sharp leaves!

Kinnikinnick may work. It is a very durable groundcover and quite tolerant of soil conditions as long as well draining. And very drought tolerant once established. Resiliance to foot traffic will increase once the plants are better established, as well. Local schools often use this in combination with mahonia (Oregon grape) for various landscaping purposes as both will take a lot of abuse and neglect.

throw in some vine maples and sword ferns, and you have a pretty sturdy garden that can take some neglect. and native.

the vine maples will get broken if you put in a plant that is too small. its pretty easy to source very large specimens.

heck, while you are there, some red twig dogwoods take neglect and will bounce back from abuse.

Like evergreen azaleas and other heaths Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is brittle and sensitive to soil compaction.

if the area is 3 feet higher than the court, and only 5 feet wide, i doubt that it will get stepped on TOO much.