Transforming Narrow Planting Strips: 4 Inspiring Garden Designs

Even seasoned gardeners can struggle to envision the potential in a narrow planting strip—especially when that pocket garden sits outside the fence. The challenges are real: difficult irrigation, reflected heat from pavement, foot traffic, and often poor soil.

Yet these perimeter plantings can serve as a picture frame for the inner garden and home beyond. After seeing how these designers and homeowners transformed their pocket gardens, you may find yourself rethinking your boundary fence location just to claim this unique design opportunity.

1. A Romantic Border

A classic white picket fence draped with fragrant roses—what could be more romantic? The beauty here is that passersby enjoy the flowers, since they're planted on the street side of the fence.

Key design features:

• Restraint in both color palette and plant selection
• Repetition of colors and plants along the entire border
• Gaining height by using the fence to support climbing roses

Color notes:

• A restrained palette of pink and blue accented with chartreuse
• Deeper purple shades provide depth, ensuring visual interest even in late summer

Plant selection:

• Climbing 'Mary Rose' provides height and fragrance
• Billowing mounds of golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea') and May Night salvia (Salvia nemorosa 'May Night') form the lower tier
• These perennials tolerate low water, poor soil, and hot sun

2. A Contemporary Home

The strong geometric lines of contemporary architecture call for a foliage-focused planting, and this narrow roadside border delivers.

Key design features:

• Restraint in color and plant variety
• Linear planting echoing the horizontal lines of the home's siding and fence
• Emphasis on foliage over flowers

Color note:

• Muted earth tones

Plant selection:

• Grasses and succulents suit contemporary design, relying on strong form rather than colorful blooms
• These plants require minimal water and maintenance
• The grasses add a bright note against dark stained fence panels

3. An Entry That Establishes a Theme

A garden entrance should create anticipation, setting the scene for what lies beyond. Plantings on the street side of this lattice fence achieve just that.

Key design features:

• An interesting combination of heights and textures makes this tiny planting pocket seem larger than it is
• Several plants also appear within the main garden, creating continuity

Color note:

• Subdued tones of tan and pink allow the eye to move through the garden entrance

Plant selection:

• Selected for tenacity in a particularly hot, dry border
• Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima), feather reed grass (Calamgrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'), and sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Sedum 'Herbstfreude') provide long-term interest

4. Planting Strips That Link Multiple Homes

Planned communities like this one in Kirkland, Washington, face unique challenges, not least of which is adhering to HOA regulations.

These planting strips allow individuality while maintaining cohesive design.

Key design features:

• A narrow planting strip adjacent to the sidewalk lies beyond each homeowner's split-rail fence
• Several plants repeat through all gardens, with room for unique choices

Color note:

• Shades of blue, lavender, and green repeat throughout

Plant selection:

• All plants stay lower than the split-rail fence height; glimpsing the fence down the entire sidewalk creates the illusion of one continuous border
• Each plant typically has a mounding habit, creating uniformity
• Lavender (Lavandula spp.) and sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Sedum 'Herbstfreude') appear throughout these pocket gardens and adjacent communal areas. Bronze-colored coral bells (Heuchera hyb.) and daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are also used