why dont you start by loosening the soil .... and finding out what kind it is ...

and then we go from there ...

and how much sun actually hits the area between a wall and a 3 foot deck???

ken

Hens and chicks, and stonecrop grow anywhere but a bog. Stepables are tough too.

mao

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia) is a nice groundcover for sun but its flowers aren't really notable (foliage is). Also, Lithodora might work though it flowers in spring not summer.

I would plant something you don't dare plant elsewhere - like bishops weed - a green and white variegated ground cover that is an aggressive spreader. Maybe Sedum Autumn Joy would work but you might have to work at the maintenance. You need something that will hold up under the baking reflected heat of the cement and splashing chlorine pool water. Maybe an idea is a decorative border of some cool tiles or mosaics and be done with it.

Marguerite daisies (Anthemis punctata) have done well for me in my "hell strip" areas. They love crappy soil, lots of sun and don't need a lot of water. My clumps are usually around 6-8" tall when not in bloom. The leaves are a good contrast to most other garden plants-- very delicate, finely cut and greyish-green. The blooms are 2" pale yellow, and make good cut flowers. It normally flowers here (Richmond VA) in early summer, but mine looks like it'll bloom within the next month thanks to our crazy winter weather. My gardening encyclopedia says it will rebloom if given enough sun and cut back hard after the initial flowering. I may have to try that this year.