That really isn't much space, certainly not enough for a tree, and probably not enough for a shrub. You may get a lot of reflected heat from the concrete driveway in the summer, too. I would look into perrenials, interspersed with some of the smaller ornamental grasses. Depending upon the design of your fence, (size of slats, or spacing if it's some sort of a mesh...) you could also plant some nice vines to go along the fence. My favorites are Clematis - as long as they have their roots shaded by other plants, they should do fine.

Check with a local reputible nursery (i.e., not any of the big box stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot) and see what the folks there suggest. They will be knowledgeable about what does well in the SLC environment.

Holly

You might look at Purple winter creeper euonymous, Periwinkle (Vinca), or variegated miniature Euonymous if you want something that will keep its leaves. I would normally not recommend Purple creeper ot Vinca as it can take over but if you have a mow strip beneath the fence and cement on the other side you will have quick cover in that area. It will still need to cut back as it will sprawl onto your driveway in time. There are some miniature euonymous with tiny, tiny leaves that stay small.

Break it up a little with some Oriental lillies, phlox, ornamental grasses, poppies, bell flower (or whatever excites you from so many perrenials), bullbs, Clematis on a trellis (I doubt they would climb the vinyl fence unless it is open). I would say miniature rose, but it is just the rose, not the plant that stays miniature!

I love this! I need someone to tell me what to go and get or what to go and start looking at when I get to the nursery. I appreciate your advice. We don't move in until the end of April, so keep those ideas coming. Thanks.

One other thought if you want something for a lateral effect is a dwarf flowering almond.

It is a little tree when kept trimmed properly and is one of the most showy plants you will see in the spring. It blooms completely over all the branches like thick pink pom-poms.

It should be trimmed back to 4-5 main branches it will flower at its best and stay small enough for this area. Don't worry about agressive pruning in the fall or early spring. I have 3 of these lined up in a narrow strip at the front of my home.

I didn't think about the vinyl fence being solid! If it is, as delray suggests you will need to add a trellis, or some sort of mesh to encourage a vine to grow up and along it. I think some sort of flowering vine on the fence would add vertical interest to the plant bed.

You are going to have fun with this, I think. There are tons of perennials and ornamental grasses to consider, and apparently some small shrubs that just might do the trick. There also dwarf conifers that you might check into for 4 season interest. Bulbs are a great idea, too. There are spring, summer and fall bulbs that can be planted. And don't forget the Irises! They will multiply but are easy to transplant when they get crowded so you can spread them throughout the bed. And I bet you can get freebies from other gardeners in your area who are thinning out their Iris beds.

Make sure you ammend the soil with compost and other organic matter, if you just have the lovely Utah clay soil there now. Again, check with your local nursery for the best ammendments and mulches to use. If you see a garden in the area that you admire, check with the property owner about what they recommend and what nursery/nurseries they frequent. Most of us obssessed gardeners are more than happy to share information and ideas - once the gardening passion has you in its grasp, you will see endless possibilities for your landscape. ;-D

Holly

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinyl fence

I'd plant perennials. Daylilies, maybe Sweet Autumn Joy

If you like climbers and can keep the roots moist and shaded with mulch clematis or a combination of climbers and plants. Climbing roses would do well. Small barberry hedge these are burgandy color but might need some trimming

Laurie

To me, it sounds like too much sun and reflected heat for Clematis. I'd ask the nursery about more sun-and-heat-loving stuff, like lavenders, Zauschnerias, sun roses, penstemons... I'm not sure, but with enough water, maybe you could grow some Rose-of-Sharons (Hibiscus something) in there - they're pretty deep rooted, get about 8' high, with sort of a natural vase or tree shape with age, and beautiful flowers. "Skyrocket" junipers might look nice at regular intervals, and they stay really thin. The barberry that someone else suggested is good too, and I've seen a narrow columnar version of that somewhere.

Cluelessgardener,
Take a look at High Country Gardens catalog for their hell strip garden. Some of the plants may be 18" in width so you would have to either repeat ones used. Some Penstemons would be great! You did not menton how much sun this area gets. That is important as the plants would not grow or even not come back over the winter if they are sun lovers.

Istanbuljoy

Clueless, have you planted that strip yet? If not, I have some irises and daylilies for you if you want them. I'd also suggest that you look into espaliering some trees there---I have three if you want to see what they look like. I am in the Millcreek area, east of Highland Drive. If you want to be inspired, I have a neighbor who is a well-known homebuilder in this area who has the most amazing landscaping. I get ideas from that house all the time :)

Julia

What is the architectural style of your house? You should choose plants that best complement the style of your home and neighborhood. In other words, you probably wouldn't be satisfied (or appreciated) with a desert garden in front of an Arts & Crafts bungalow. Can you post a pic of your house or describe it to us?

hwy66jan, I am guessing at the style of the house because it is new construction and has a vinyl fence, but even so it is really smarter in the Salt Lake valley to find something that can handle the climate rather than the style of the house, IMO...

Thank you all so much for this information. Our landscapers are here this week, so I should soon be able to go plant shopping. I am very nervous about it, so I think I'll focus on one area at a time so that I don't rush and ruin things.

Julia, I'd love to see your neighbor's yard. Would you mind emailing me at cluelessgardener@yahoo.com and giving me the address? I'll certainly drive by.

Thanks again for all the advice. I am so excited about this project.

why not go for a small evergreen shrub looks good keeps it,s shape and will give you year round color

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.

I actually posted this question 2 years ago in 2005. I am so happy it has been bumped to the surface since I haven't actually done anything with this strip yet (other than weed it nonstop). We are going to plant it this summer, so keep those ideas coming. THANKS.

Ice plant.

Well, if you are looking for a tough plant, the toughest plant that I know of is wall germander (Teucrium chamaedrys.) I have this in a full sun 12 inch strip along my front street gutter. It gets run over by the trash company regularly, gets snow and salt dumped on it, abused in numberous other ways and it just keeps going. I rarely water it and never fertilize it. It grows about 8 to 12 inches tall for me and has a small pink bloom in July/August. After blooming, I shear it down a little and it stays a nice green into November.

Nancy

I love my trailing plox. Small/compact flowering spring, but still pretty afterwards.

I think you also need to make sure it's something that can handle high pH. The soil around here tends to be high pH to start, and the driveway can exacerbate that.