hey everyone , thanks for the replies !! ill try to reply to everyone in small paragraphs : we are in Chardon , Ohio , 40 minutes east of Cleveland. By Mentor, Kirtland, etc .. all were known for is snow and maple syrup. the snow usually all melts away by mid to late march though. were not shopping at tyty , but used them for a pic reference . there are several nurseries by me , just dont know which are the best. some people have japanese maples around me , they seem to do fine ... but i am no expert . they are nice trees, but expensive by me . i have a small red oak to the left of the driveway from the picture's view... i could probably just uproot it and replant. ide say its 4' tall and about the diameter of my thumb . its the ONLY oak on my 2 acres. my woods consist of pignut hickories, black cherries, sugar maples, bigtooth aspens, and a few basswoods. the only 3 elms on my property are all huge and dead. i have the ability to replant the red oak and i have a ton of sugar maples that are under 8' tall . crabapples are great. i have been eating them since i was a kid. i will incorporate one of them in the mix for sure. i see that the bradford pear is a pain in the butt and cracks and splits since its trunks are so close theres no room for expansion i guess. however, the Cleveland Select pear tree seems to get a better reputation . i wouldnt line the driveway with them , as i do like functioning trees like maples and crabapples, serviceberries , etc. i can respect the notion that those choices are better than ornamental trees that are pretty but probably wont outlive you and dont bear fruit. i dont plan on living here longer than 5-10 years, so any tree i pick i wont be able to see it in all its glory. thats ok though . also , i have a septic system in the middle of the yard so i cant plant them everywhere as i would like . they have to be within 15' of the driveway and they can be as big as i would like . the house is surrounded by 60-120' trees . here is another link to my layout but shot in the fall . you can see the 2 septic line service covers in the grass painted in green. Middle of the yard and inline with the pine trees in the corner . i need to get a blueprint of the septic drain lines so i can maybe plant a few in the middle of the yard too! from left to right in the pic there is a basswood and a couple pignuts in the front we just love and then a couple white pines. we have a lot to digest now from all the replies. ill get back to you im sure with more questions once we narrow or selections down . thanks again!!! keep the replies coming . :) Here is a link that might be useful:

"The berries are small so it takes a lot of picking to get a bucket full and it's a long drive up there but it's so worth it." You sound like me... :) Betcha there are a fair amount of other folks like us as well. It almost becomes an obsession. I would find a patch, start picking, and before I knew it I had worked right through the day. Once I focus very little will stop or distract me. Only a growling stomach from working right through lunch and/or dinner time would finally drive me away. I would even bring a couple of pots along to bang together to (hopefully) solve any bear issues. No way they were chasing me out, especially if I was there first. I don't care if it is their "turf". The problem I have is that I simply cannot stand it when others around me eat more than they put in the pan. I understand giving in to the temptation but it drives.me.nuts. It takes self control to resist because I want to freeze them for muffins, biscuits, scones, and pancakes in winter, as well as for making preserves. The very same preserves that those berry devourers always want from me come winter-time. ;) -Tom

If "over here" = east of the Cascades check soil and water suitablility, if no montbretias (Crocosmia crocosmiiflora) being seen over there that could be a red flag--they tend to be common where adapted*, as they are prolific and easily grown for the most part (rather heavy damage from mites is often seen on them during our dry midsummer conditions in Seattle area). And the hybrid 'Lucifer' is also prevalent, it may be significant that you saw it all over on your trip but not where you live. Sunset WESTERN GARDEN BOOK gives west-side only Zones for Crocosmia (in PNW), says "Where lows range from 10 to -5F/12 to -21C, provide winter mulch. In colder areas, dig and store over winter." *Actually a pest in Hawaii

If you want shrubs some euonymous will grow in that small of a space and give a vertival feature against the fence. Also, several upright and mounded ornamental grasses will grow in that space. The possibilities of climbers are endless. I have a similar type strip betwene my neighbor's driveway and my house (but more like 15-18 inches deep) and I love it because It is like a little mini garden. I just planted a clematis and some karl Foerster. I also plant a lot of my kitchen herbs along there because they are easy to get to. I have one section that has a backdrop of irisesz and some small mounding ornamental grasses in front of them. I also planted a monarda, but this was a mistake because it has outgrown the space considerably. Right now I am working on making an especially small part of it and a window well that sits a little lower show a collection of sempervivum and small sedums. Also, be sure to keep in mind non-plant design elements.