Question
I own an older brick home with a large picture window in the front.  The window has a built in brick planter on the outside of the house.  The edge of the planter is about 2ft tall and is about 10ft long.  When we moved into the house 2 years ago the planter was filled with overgrown holly bushes.  Last summer my husband and I removed as much of the hollys we could, to about a depth of 1 1/2 feet and we placed salt on the roots to try and keep them from returning.  We decided not to plant anything in there until this year.  What type of plants would you suggest, the main thing i want is color, some foliage, but nothing too tall.

Answer
Kristi,

First you need to remove ALL of the soil in the planter at least 2 feet down because of the salt you placed there.  Why did you do that? Who told you to do that?  Using the salt has made the soil unsuitable for any plant.  This is why the Romans salted fields after a conquest to prevent all plant growth.  

Without seeing your planting (facing direction, sun or shade, etc.) I can not make specific recommendations.  Go to your local garden center, buy some new topsoil (not the kind in the bags, but real soil), and describe your plant wants to your local professionals.

Good gardening and get rid of that old soil

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