Question
I am going to be replacing grass with perennial beds in the median between my sidewalk and the street, in a 4ft x 40ft area.  However, neighbor dogs like to use the grassy median as a lavatory...  Knowing there will be dogs wanting to pee and poop in that median, can you suggest hardy perennials?  Maybe something that even discourages the dogs.  The site is clay (I'll be amending the soil), so it dries out quickly, and gets a half day of full sun, so it needs drought tolerant plants.  I'm thinking lavender, daylilies, sedum, ajuga, hens and chicks and spring bulbs.  Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!  

Answer
Hi Elaine,
Thanx for your question.  I think the plants you have picked out are nice and tough.  The lavender may even be a deterrant because of it's strong fragrance.  The median area is a tough area so you want to put something there that will tolerate people traffic if a lot of people park along the street.  If not, then what you've lined up I think is well enough.  I wouldn't want to put anything that grows taller than 2 feet.  Bear in mind though, if the dogs keep using the area as a latrine, they will do a lot of damage to the plants with their urine and feces.  Can you figure out what is attracting them to that particular spot?  That would help a lot and then maybe you could take measures to make the place not so attractive to them.  Like I said, the lavender I would think, might be a deterrant because of it's smell.  I don't think the dogs will enjoy climing into the sedum and daylilies but could wreak havoc on spring flowers like tulips and hyacinths.  I hope this helps.
Tom