What would you install in this

[dclark2037]

http://www.markstaar.com/product_docs/BOHLMANN/P4830.pdf (http://www.markstaar.com/product_docs/BOHLMANN/P4830.pdf)
These are some planters (100 to be exact) my contractor is putting in at an army depot that we work at. These are for security purposes to keep people from parking with in 30 feet of building. No irrigation and mostly full sun. They want 100% maintenance free so I told them i could do artificial plants. lol.

[danf]

Unless you can control rain, there is absolutely NO way you can have 100% maintenance free planters with live plants in them. Sounds like you already know that though.

If they truly want "maintenance free" then they just need to install concrete barriers and be done with it.

For plants, I'd get with a local wholesale bedding plant nursery and find out what they would recommend. At a minimum, you'll need to put plants in at the beginning of the season and remove them at the end of the season. I would also plan on incorporating some sort of polymer into the potting soil to help hold moisture in so the roots don't dry out.

Whatever you do, if you don't get any sort of maintenance contract do NOT give any sort of warranty!! Planters are tough to get things to grow in, and are definitely not "maintenance free". Before I moved up here, we had 17 planters spread through a local downtown area that were watered usually at least 1 time per week, sometimes more if it was dry. They could have used more maintenance than that, but the budget wasn't there....

[bigvictu]

yuccas cedum daylilies etc. just plant some stuff that is highly drought tolerant, and plant them early in the season so that they get wet. Don't worry about stuff getting to big since you are only doing the install and won't have to worry about maintaining the stuff down the road.

[4seasons]

Cacti ....

[dclark2037]

Thanks for the comments guys. I think we are going to do some pink muhly grasses, some gold mops, and other junipers and assorted ground covers. I will have to wait and see the exact conditions (i.e. sun/shade).
David