Xoxosmom, I am not an expert, but I have been doing some research. The decision of sprinkler Vs Drip is actually made on the basis of what type of plants are planned in the strip. Veggies and like that need constant moisture do well with Drip. Large shrubs perhaps might benefit from sprinklers. Another consideration is, if your plants get completely drenched by sprinklers, it attracts slugs. If the plant planned has a trunk, then perhaps a sprinkler might be ok. Also, since you are starting a new garden, how about planting some draught tolerant natives that need no water once established? Things like ground covers, native bushes/grasses etc.? Just my 2c.

My backyard has a new 5 valve sprinkler system on a timer. In areas where plants don't like being watered from above, or are big enough to block the sprinklers from covering, and near groupings of potted plants, I have retrofitted Orbit Quad manifold drip heads on top of the risers. I am switching back and forth between sprinklers and drip whenever it suits me. Consider installing sprinklers before planting and adapting it to your changing circumstances later. I am currently swapping in more thoughtfully distributed drip emitters in an effort to lower my water consumption in a mostly tropical garden, by putting the water exactly where I need it. I mostly use the flag emitters and have not yet had any problems with clogging. Last year I removed all the drip in the frontyard borders and re-installed sprinkler heads on the risers for better coverage after removing a lot of cannas. I am slowly switching to Australian and South African natives and will revert back to drip.

you probably already know but micro sprinkler and drip are two different things, you can combine the two but its a little tricky..I'm experimenting with that right now.. the drip line they sell on Misterlandscaper.com is spaced every 12 inches, I've seen up to 18 inch spacing.. There are adjustable drippers, but they don't spray and a dripper usually requires a reduction to 25 psi, sprinkler only 50, just something to keep in mind. not sure what you're trying to grow, but the key is getting uniformed coverage on the plants and making sure they get a deep watering..the sprayers get better coverage but the leaves will get wet, best thing about the micro drippers is they get the water directly to the roots. here is a link to my set up. micro-irrigation

I would recommend 1/2 gph emitters. Slower saturates the soil better and is easier to control in my experience. If you are watering with a can now how much water do you give it a day? If you give the pot a quart of water a day I would run a 1/2 gph emitter about 15 minutes twice a day. That is just a starting point you will undoubtedly have to adjust by digging down in the pot a bit and seeing how moist the soil is.