Best plants for narrow side-yard strips

Side yards between houses are among the most challenging planting spaces in residential landscapes: typically 2–6 feet wide, often receiving shade from both structures, with soil compacted by foot traffic and construction. Drainage may be poor or channeled. Mature width is the binding constraint --.

Side yards between houses are among the most challenging planting spaces in residential landscapes: typically 2–6 feet wide, often receiving shade from both structures, with soil compacted by foot traffic and construction. Drainage may be poor or channeled. Mature width is the binding constraint — a plant that looks appropriate at 2 feet wide at planting can become a maintenance burden and a structural problem at 6 feet wide in ten years.

The principle for narrow side yards is simple: choose plants whose mature width is 2 feet or less for a 4-foot strip, or 3 feet or less for a 6-foot strip. Columnar cultivars of normally wide species are usually the answer.

Light conditions in side yards

Side yards between houses typically receive 1–4 hours of direct sun per day depending on orientation, house height, and spacing. Per Missouri Botanical Garden, this falls in the part-shade range. The list below includes both sun-tolerant options (for south-facing or wider strips) and shade-tolerant options (for tight, north-facing passages).

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