lisanti07028, thank you so much!

Esh, you *should* have Native Burning Bush/Eastern-Wahoo or Euonymus atropurpureus in GA. Here's the USDA link to it's natural range map: Looking under "native burning bush": http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUAT5 Looking under "eastern wahoo": http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUATA2 Looking under "Strawberry Bush", "Euonymus obovata" or "Running Strawberry Bush" you find it has a similar but smaller range: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUOB8 As for ID I'm not much help. Running Strawberry bush tends to be more like a ground-hugging, ground cover averaging about 1-2 feet off the ground up here in Southern Ontario. I would have no idea what it looks like furhter south. Barb

Thank you all for taking the time to share - some great info there for me to think more about with it, and more research to lookup all those plant names hoovb provided :-) Your mention of thyme was an interesting trigger NHBabs. I do have some lemon thyme and Italian oregano growing closer to the house, and they do well here. I was thinking 'I don't want to grow them in the parking strip - too many questionable things that might happen making them un-edible.' But, I never really thought in the way of 'they are nice looking plants, may be good to plant there, even if I don't plan to eat them.' And thanks gardengal48 also for the mention of the sight line reason - that really never occurred to me. But now that you mention it, it does apply to me. My driveway is a downward sloping driveway. So I almost always back in to the driveway for just that reason, so I can see what's coming when I leave. When I don't back in, and then go to leave, I now realize even on my side that having a 3 foot hedge there would really make it harder to see what's going on back there, combined with my downslope drriveway. I'm not looking for a 3' dense hedge in the parking strip. But, you mentioning that did help me realize why the city probably has that 18" limit. My hope is to be able to add just 2 or 3 plants like those brown spiky plants that get a little taller, but with them being non-dense (not sure what the word is for that in gardening.. sparse?), and I think now I understand what to work towards in that area - if it will get above 18", make sure it's something that isn't dense and allows good view on the other side, even with it there.

There are some Echeveria cultivars that have leaves that curl downward into tubes. I'm not talking about the downward bend of 'topsy-turvy' but of leaves that touch at the bottom forming almost closed tubes like in your photos. The ones I've seen also have caruncles or warts or whatever you want to call the lumpy growths on the leaves. Try googling "Echeveria culibra." I think yours might be a similar cultivar that hasn't had enough sun to produce the distinctive carunkles. Apparently they need pretty intense sunshine.