I hope you can figure out something. I guess I would fill it with woody herbs, again. Sage, Rosemary, Catmint, Thyme, Oregano & Lavender. Fill in with Dusty Miller. All of those plants are water-thrifty and might reach your 2’ needs inside of a month in your zone. Maybe throw some of those water-retaining crystals in each planting hole when you plant?
Or how about some larger (2-5 gallon) pots of perennial grasses? That would give you instant height. I think grass gardens are so pretty!
Or a combo of the above? Let us know how it turns out.
And, yes. I take destruction of garden beds and trees and shrubs to be a VERY personal matter! Grrrr!
http://www.finegardening.com/article/10-ornamental-herbs
Thanks for the links. I love the perennial grass notion. Got a perfect spot where the rosemary was too. I had forgotten that I’ve got a lot of Mexican petunias that need thinning here and I’ve got some beautiful wormwood that I can take cuttings quickly that have already layered here.
Came home from up there with a stomach bug and wasted my day yesterday so as soon as I get back from voting in our primary I’m getting on that today.