I need some suggestions on a project I'd like to start this summer to rid my neighborhood of an "eyesore bed."

There is a 20' by 3' bed in front of an empty building near me, between a concrete flat area and the sidewalk. Ironically, the building was used by a landscaper (before he was jailed for selling drugs--guess there just wasn't enough money in landscaping!). The soil is junk, full of weeds and one half-dead globular boxwood-thingie.

I need to plant things that won't need a lot of water, weeding, or general care. Things that look good, but not so good that kids would hack them up or dig them out. It's on a major street, surrounded by apartment buildings with landscaping limited to overgrown taxus, so it's not like there would be a community of gardeners looking out for the plantings. The plants should tend toward the low side since it's right on the sidewalk. And because I'm doing it myself, cheap things would be nice too!

I had some ideas, but my garden is shade, shade, shade, and very sheltered by trees, so I'm out of my element here. I'm torn between garden with flowering plants or shrubs only. I thought of just planting bunches of ribbon grass and letting that go wild since it will be contained within this concrete raised bed. I just hate driving by scraggly stuff that makes the neighborhood look bad, when with some work it could look better.

Thanks in advance,

Kirsten