Tiny Side yard...

So I live in suburbia with 5' of space on each side of my house. The house is also really long, as it takes up most of the front and back of the lot as well. So what to do with this space? Many folks just bark it and call it a day. But to do so is a tragic waste of plant growing ground. I have created a lush little walkway that leads to the backyard gate with my less than 5' wiggle room. A trellis of star jasmine and a espaliered flowering quince trained on wires help to give the siding some vertical interest. A climbing fuchsia (Fuchsia regia, it doesn't acutally climb!) breaks up the wall on the other side of the window. Loose, fluffy boxwood 'Winter Gem' give some bones to the path and eventually an Azara microphylla 'Variegata' will grow over to create a sense of ceiling. (It is doing so well!) This area gets mid-day sun and is on a drip line. Evergreen perennials for shade dot the rest of the path. Epimedium 'Frohleiten', Heucheras, Pulmonarias, Tiarellas, Carex 'Ice Dance'. I added a little variegated Isis fuchsia this weekend and golden baby's tears to brighten things up a bit. Golden bleeding heart and Astrantia 'Superstar' are some of my favorites. Oh! And I have a ton of ferns including the Wallich's Wood fern, Giant Chain fern, and the Autumn fern. They give such great texture as you brush past them.

I hope I have inspired you to take your wasted space and utilize the wide range of possiblities to create an inviting passage way along side your home.