What to plant

Hi Everyone, perhaps someone has ideas?

An opportunity may have popped up... the town water people located a pipe to install a meter and left an area of the front yard "better than it was before".... :-/

This means they scraped off the brush and blackberry brambles, possibly removing any topsoil and smooshed it flat.  So unless I want erosion and/or the blackberries to re-invade I'd better plant something.... but what???  I had not envisioned anything for this space yet.   Resources/constraints follow below and a picture

I like flowering things, things I can eat and things I can smell.
We're renters with limited chances of being here in 3 years.
I don't want to spend too much money, would prefer to transplant and snag cuttings etc.
I don't know how to do cuttings yet

The area borders the (steep) driveway:
    Watering is possible, but not easy.
       As in once a week watering for establishing.
    Whatever grows shouldn't loom into the driveway
       Other things do and get pruned.

One neighbor has weekly lawn manicures.  
The other neighbor has parked a 20 year old snow mobile in their meadow like yard.
The third neighbor has a beautiful woodland garden.

It gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
It is underneath big trees that keep off light rain.
It is coastal BC...expect drought, frost and downpours
Deer in the neighborhood like to eat most things.
This space will not be deer fenced.

I can chop and drop up a light mulch
No mulch will hold the brambles

There is honeysuckle vine, ivy and wisteria on the property for cuttings.  Forscithia and lilac too, but I don't love them
My better half has worried about planting wisteria that would encroach upon the woodland garden neighbors.
There is lemon balm and mint that seems to thrive in my (watered) garden.  The green onions and kale seem to be setting seed right now.

maybe mint?  It grows pretty fast, not too picky about soil, you can eat it and smell it.

Since they installed a meter you will want to plant something that will not grow to high since they will want to be reading that meter.  I would suggest something like creeping thyme.

Since you have lemon balm and mint that could be transplanted you might try that and see if that seems acceptable to them since it can be mowed.

I would get with "beautiful woodland garden" neighbor and talk to them.  they will probably have great advice for your area and will most likely be happy to supply you with starts for plants that grow well there.

Todd Parr wrote:I would get with "beautiful woodland garden" neighbor and talk to them.

That seems to make a lot of sense and somehow hadn't occurred to me!  Thanks  

I think I'm going to rustle up mulch, put in a few transplants from elsewhere on property, perhaps scatter out wildflower seeds then put in one (bought) bush type thingy.  Hopefully the neighbors can recommend something that will thrive and provide some benefit.