not much soil what to plant

There is an area of my garden that only has about 20cm of soil before it hits concrete or rubble, what can i plant there. Ideally something that will not turn into a weed or grow too high

 

Something that likes free draining soil would be best if there's a lot of rubble there. Maybe Cistus (rock rose) ...

 

More info please. How much sun does it get, how sheltered is it, and is there anything in particular that you like?

A photo would help too.

 

Would not bother with anything in just 20cm of soil then concrete, just too easy for it to dry out completely and kill any plant, few plants would ever be happy in that situation.

Better to use various sized pots /planters to suit what you want to grow, flowers, climbers, fruit or veg, the choice is yours

 

I'd look at alpines, sempervivums, cyclamen, Zauschneria, some of the salvias will grow where you have rubble rather than concrete, tulbaghia, some gladiolus species, watsonias, allliums, Amaryllis belladonna, some aquilegia, geraniums, sisyrinchium, thymes, lavender, rosemary and such like. I have all of these growing either on dry stone walls or in a raised bed with a lot of rubble in the bottom and few inches of soil on the top.

 

Your query made me think of a recent Guardian gardening article about someone creating a 'rubble garden' in Bristol. Really beautiful, and there are various planting suggestions: hardcore landscaping

 

Wow that garden in Bristol was lovely, my daughter lives in Bristol, we must go and take a look when we are there. That little mexican daisy Erigeron Karvinskianus can get everywhere though.
Perhaps we ought to start a thread 'beware lovely things that want to take over the world'.

 

Ideally something fruity that wont creep out over the rest of the garden or a non flowering grass or plant with interesting year round colour

 

How about Rubus rolfei (also called pentalobus).
For year round colour try Ophiphogon planiscapus "Nigrescens" or Ajuga reptans "Braunhertz" or similar.

 

The first one looks a bit depressingly dark ? is it black coloured ?
The second looks a bit too flowery for my liking

 

@hi2u_uk
Rubus rolfei is dark green, white flowers and orange berries; Ophiphogon planiscapus "Nigrescens" has dark purple foliage and white or blue flowers; Ajuga reptans "Braunhertz" has bronze foliage and blue flowers.
Right so your requirements are few flowers, not dark, fruity, but not spready, year round colour, not too tall, not self seeding, free draining soil, relatively shallow soil.
In which case maybe some of the crocuses, species Tulips these tend to be low and small or other small spring flowering bulbs, have a look at some of the hardy geraniums, possible "Anne Folkard" or "Mavis Simpson", "Nunwood Purple",G pulchrum, G yoshinoi, sempervivums, sedums, thymes will meet your requirements.
You don't say where in the UK you are, or if the space is sunny or shaded or which way the area faces.

 

How about hardy cyclamen? Lovely foliage most of the year, and if you don't mind some flowers, coum flowers in spring, and hederifolium in autumn.

 

There's a whole host of cacti that would love it there, they would benefit from the sharp drainage as long as they have some sun. Google hardy cactus for some ideas. if it's quite shady, some ferns will live there like dryopteris and asplenium, as will a few succulents. I don't mean sedum...though some are non invasive, but sempervivum or even agave and some clumping aloe

 

Chaenorhinum origanifolium 'Blue Dream'