Like a Cracker Jack box

We each have a flower bed area in front of our duplexes. Everyone else has planted some actual flowers amongst the weeds and rocks. The previous tennants of our apartment attempted some gardening in it but ended up with mainly weeds and rocks. We are still denying that we are living here I think, because we left the weeds to make their statement. Well a few days ago I decided that they had to go, I think there was some dead mint in there and it really stunk! So, I spent a little while digging up the weeds. Deana drove by and said "oh, that looks better" as if our little patch of overgrown "gardening" was slumming the place down!

Turns out, I should have maybe left the weeds because underneath was a death bed for our neighbors toys and junk. I finally got up the nerve to grab a garbage bag today and clean it out and this is a small sampling of what I found; about 7 matchstick cars, 4 pieces of broken chalk, a used firecracker, too many marbles to count, lip gloss, some indistinguishable leftovers, and of course...cigarette butts galore! (this "flower bed" is about 4'x1')

What can I plant that is very very thorny.....