How about a low sedum, or a patchwork of low sedum. (not Autumn Joy or the other upright sedums). I have an edging (thickly overgrown now) of liriope--the old ordinary kind. It is not in full sun however. Portulaca, which is annual would probably reseed reliably in zone 7. It loves to grow in dry edges or even in our gravel drive.
Lamb's ears, maybe--the kind that doesn't bloom would be nice.

Chris

this is a lot to ask of any plant - to stand up to a car....but, if you must, try growing something like thymes through gravel or horticultural grit. There are a number of smaller campanulas (portenschlagiana, pocharsskyana, garganica which have an innate toughness. You could also continue with the gravel theme and try sedums (stonecrops), sempervivums, maybe some of the smaller grasses (festuca) armeria (thrift) saxifrage urbium, dianthus. Small bulbs such as species tulips, crocus, iris reticulata. Will survive trampling but possibly not vehicles.

I have a similar situation and a low evergreen sedum, I don't know the name, handles it just fine. Dianthus 'Bath's Pink', has done pretty well too, as has Stachys 'Big Ears'.

I have a NOID creeping thyme along the driveway. Though it is dense occasionally a weed will grow through it. This creeping thyme (winter sown from traded seed) is very vigorous and needs to be cut or pulled back when it spreads too far. No problem being run over now and then.

These are good ideas. Thank you. Will Stachys invade and try to take over the whole bed? Or is it like thyme, expanding but not aggressive?

Stachys will continue to expand outward, but I wouldn't call it aggressive, at least for me. If it spreads too much I just dig out the excess. It is very easy to dig out.

Some varieties of hardy geraniums are quite thick while others are more open and rangy. Geranium 'Biokovo" is compact and dense while 'Rosanne' is open and rangy.

I have found lamb's ear stachys to be an unruly spreader. It seeds all over including into the grass at my house, and I've been trying to get rid of it for years.

I am wondering if a series of spaced flat rocks or perhaps paving bricks would help as well. It would allow the crown of some plants to not be totally squashed if the plant was placed between two rocks that were far enough apart that the plant had space to grow, but the tire couldn't fit down between. Mulch between plants will help with the weeds, since the foliage probably won't be as dense at times. Pine straw, gravel, or bark mulch could all work.

nhbabs, the trick to lamb's ears is to grow the stachys that never, or hardly ever, blooms. The blooms are ugly anyhow, and I always cut off the few stalks that appear.

thinking outside the box .... and with tongue planted firmly in check ....

rearrange the bed.. and add a strip of gravel which you keep clean with generic roundup ...

MOST the suggested plants can take over sooner or later.. what might be a small problem when you are 40 .. can be a bigger problem when you are 50 .. and can be a nightmare by 70 or 80 ....

just admit to yourself you have a DRIVEWAY issue.. not a garden issue ... so solve it by fixing/extending the driveway curve ... i really think that is the only way to 'solve' the issue.. rather than messing with it for the next however many years ....

ken

Ken, You may be right. Thick layers of mulch, plus aggressive weeding. Since I am way closer to 70 than I am to 40.... The curve and its aftereffects are concentrated in the lower part of the driveway. I'll give it a lot of thought.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. This process has been very helpful.

Ken, I've had my combination of Dianthus, Stachys and a slow moving evergreen sedum for many years. No problem, no takeover, just a good edge for a curved driveway.

Taking this in another direction (though a creeping thyme, or a Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny) could work) I had a similar problem and since cars did not NEED to cut that corner, they just did occasionally, which sounds like your situation, I planted two Green Mountain boxwoods on the corner. You could use something similar, like a tught columnar cedar (DeGroot's Spire) or a narrow blue juniper (like Blue Arrow) or brick pillars, or something else, but the idea is not to choose something that can handle a car but rather something that someone backing up can see and avoid. Worked for me.

i understand that lacey .... just making them think outside the box ....

ken

Simcan,

I used to have 2 Japanese maples in the bed. Now I have 1 Japanese maple in the bed and a big scratch on the side of my car as a result of my daughter getting confused one evening while backing up in the dark.

One of the advantages of being closer to 70 than to 40 is learning how to choose which battles to pick.

just mentioning that veronica repens Georgia Blue is a terrific tough little leaved edging plant w/ looong cobalt blue blooming period in late spring.
best,
mindy

I've been watching this thread because I have a similar situation. My driveway curves very slightly, (kind of an s-curve, so its a double-whammy) and people just don't pay attention and notice that curve, and they run over the grass. I've actually had people back smack into the 8x8 forsythia bush at the end of the driveway! Come on! Pay attention for goodness sake! It's frustrating because the curve is not that strong, so it makes me wonder how people can go so far off the driveway. I guess the subtleness of the curve actually makes it worse than if it were very obvious. Either that or I just know a lot of bad drivers. :)

But I just wanted to add that you can't always "solve" the real problem and have to work with what you have. My driveway curves because on one side are three very large oak trees and on the other is the house. I obviously can't move the house, and I can't afford to (nor do I want to) take down 3 large oak trees. So my option is to work *with* the driveway.

I have dealt with it so far by not extending the beds too close to the driveway (although there actually have been drivers who have come well over 3 feet past the edge of the driveway and into my beds) and I even tried a huge flat rock between the driveway and one bed which gets hit the most, hoping that it will serve as a gentle reminder that they are out of line with the driveway, but people have simply driven over it, despite it being 5 or 6 inches high (what with everyone having a big SUV these days and all). In the meantime I just have grass between the beds and the driveway. It seems to take the occasional abuse fairly well, and while it's not the nicest-looking and I'd love something nicer, for now it works.

I'd love to find something else though, so I'll consider some of the things mentioned here. I have some of the Georgia Blue Veronica which needs to be moved, so I may move it to "the strip" and try it there.

:)
Dee

P.S. I've been wanting to put a stone wall across the front of my property, but am afraid it will get hit because of people unable to drive!

and people just don't pay attention and notice that curve, and they run over the grass. I've actually had people back smack into the 8x8 forsythia bush at the end of the driveway! Come on! Pay attention for goodness sake!

===>>>> MAYBE YOU PEEPS WITH THESE KIND OF DRIVEWAYS OUGHT TO QUIT INVITING OVER THE DRINKERS .. AND GETTING THEM ALL LIQUORED UP DURING GIN RUMMY .... LOL ...

ken

Gee, maybe I SHOULD get them liquored up before they leave -maybe then they'll negotiate the curves, lol!

I tell ya, between the curves in my driveway, and the fact that it's in a blind curve on a road where people drive too fast, half the time when folks leave I shut the door and go back in the house. No waving, no looking out the window. I just kind of hold my breath and hope I don't hear either the sound of a car hitting a tree, or worse, the squeal of brakes and a car hitting a car! Maybe that forsythia bush at the end of the drivway near the street is a good buffer, lol!

:)
Dee