In what way poor? What pH? Though if you are talking of the kind of place where
Buddleia does well then I guess we're talking neutral or alkaline, hot, dry,
sharply drained, little organic content, light soil. In which case Jane's idea
of Cistus is a good one, add various labiate herbs like Thymes, Sages,
Rosemary, Oregano + Lavenders, Catmint, Brooms, Jerusalem Sage, Wormwoods, Mt
Etna Broom - but it's a big one, some Euphorbias.............

what I call poor is builders rubble, when we moved to this house on the
edge of the Forest of Dean we were having some building work done and
the builders asked me where they could put the stuff that they were
digging out of the foundation trenches or what ever they are called :-)
I said, oh, dump it all down one side of our long drive so they did,
five years later I am just getting around to thinking about planting it
up. It is neutral with a fair few small stones in it and it is a hot
dryish area, I do have a large horse muck heap that I am planning on
spreading down there, does all that make sense? However you have all
given me some very good ideas, I have a fair few small shrubs that I
could move and we do have a very very good garden centre/nursery just up
the road :-)

many thanks all

kate