p.s. it is on the west side of the house, with no shade.

Roses would be lovely there. If you want want easy to grow stuff, stick with Knockouts. You could do an herb garden, if it is dry. If it is wet go with Louisiana Irises. If you want to change with the seasons, you could do an annual bed. With a trellis you could go with Confederate Jasmine or Carolina Jesamine or a climbing Antique Rose. For a tropical look go with cannas and bananas. A Chinese Windmill Palm is also good. Checkout books on gardening in small spaces at your local library.

I was thinking maybe a Lady Banks. They are so cheerful.

marie

Lady Banks is a house eater. I have one that is climbing up a tree after only four years in the ground. Seven Sisters is a better choice for a trellis. Probably if you want repeating flowers, Don Juan, Awakening, Graham Thomas, Blossomtime, Cramoisi Superior,Dortmund or even some of the climbing Noisettes and Hybrid Musks would be nice. I am thinking about getting a Peggy Martin at the Louisiana Home and Garden Show at LSU on March 29-30th.

I have a similar area and I planted Lantana there. They are doing great but I do have to trim them back during the summer. They get so big they encroach on the sidewalk. The only downside is that they loose all of their leaves in the winter. Roses would also be nice, as would Irises. There are so many varieties out there and some get very tall.

It's hard to go wrong with the roses :) I like Sega palms and, you might wanna consider an orange tree.

divenurse, I'm a big fan of the Sega palms, too. I had 3 at my old house (pre-Katrina) and have one here at our new house, on the front, near my entryway. They are so maintenance-free and beautiful throughout the year.

All of the suggestions have been great. I also like the Indian Hawthorn shrubs, which are so beautiful this time of year, when they flower. Mine are fairly new, since we were just landscaped in November, and I can't wait for them to grow and fill in the empty spots. They are usually fast growers, so it won't be long.

Also, Encore azaleas are nice. I just bought some for the first time this year and am amazed at how long they have been blooming - I have the Autumn Carnation and planted 3 in a corner. At my old house I had the old-fashioned azaleas, which were beautiful, but if you blinked or went out of town, you missed the "bloom show." Plus, they were such a mess afterwards and tended to be a little "leggy."

My next door neighbor in Louisiana had a similar spot, but not as big. A few large shrubs were actually too big for the spot, I think, and made if difficult to get in and out of the car.
Even though you say it will not be very noticeable, it will be, becoz I presume folks walk by the sidewalk and you park there. So I would recommend low growing plants. Western exposure in zone 8b Louisiana is hot. Here are some suggestions: ground cover roses, make sure they are not too thorny if they might stick someone walking by. Lantana is very easy and loves sun and heat, however it needs to be kept pruned to be kept in bounds. I love to just snip unruly stems when I'm out piddling in the yard, but you might not. Pentas are good for sun and heat. Daylillies are very easy to grow and would fit those conditions, I think. You could have a daylilly bed with a few complementary colors. You could mix some annuals and/or perennials in there, I think it would look great. Some suggestions would be black eyed susan, coneflower, daisies, dahlias, sages, and herbs. There are quite a few herbs that are very easy, love sun, don't require lots of water, have pretty flowers, smell good, can be used in cooking, are cheap to buy as transplants or seed, and invite beneficial insects to the garden. Have fun.
laurie

I like Sego Palms, also. They get really big. Azaleas have to be pruned once they mature and the encores grow fast.Same for Indian Hawthorn unless you get dwarf plants. Same problem with Photinas and Cleyera. If you have great drainage, an herb garden is pretty low care. Annuals would be the cheapest option and you could change it with the season. If it is wet, LA Irises are great. Japanese Maples, Loquats and dwarf Crape Myrtles would also look great as a feature. Don't get me wrong, I have lots of Encores, but they require annual trimming and removal of vines, leaves, branches, etc. Roses are much less trouble and repeat more often.

brhgm- uh oh, I didn't realize Encore azaleas were so much maintenance? I read where you don't have to deadhead them, which was good news. I only have three that I just planted, so no big deal, but was hoping they would take care of themselves. ha.

For me, I can't wait for my Indian Hawthorn to fill in. They were planted pretty spaced apart, so there's plenty of room.

I have problems with vines and limbs from my oak trees. My dad lives in a small town and has the same problem. I love the repeat flowering of the Encores, but they are not maintenance free. They were originally developed here Louisiana to repeat like some of the smaller varieties like the Kerumes, but many of the Encores are full sized azaleas. I have the big Indian Hawthorns. Mine are blooming now.

brhgm, my Indian Hawthorns are blooming, too, even as new and small as they are. Really a pretty sight, aren't they?

Laurie, I want to try the pentas and coneflowers, and still will plant the yellow shrimp plants soon.

I have your plot! :)

Actually mine is 5x10 in Baton Rouge, heavy clay soil, western exposure, park in front with walkway to one side, lots of high-powered roof water runoff makes a portion of the plot unusable. (Oh and maintenance people/cats/dogs who love stepping/sleeping on plants.) I've had the plot for a year and a half and I love it.
For a small area, you don't really need anything too big because it will dwarf the site. I look at my garden every time I enter/exit my car so I don't mind it being low to the ground.
Last year I had an herb/flower garden. I would highly recommend chives, sage, rosemary, and cuban oregano. The cuban oregano I would grow in a large pot by the door or just a large pot because it can get big. The chives and oregano I never really had to water. Sage does need some watering during the summer, I'd usually look for wilting leaves on it to tell me I needed to give everything a good drink. My mint died. Too much sun/ too little water.
As for flowers, I grew daylilies, lillies, and gladiolus. I attempted to grow peonies, but the maintenance crew/cats stepped on them three times in the first 3 months after planting, so I can't really comment on them. The glads were pretty, but didn't last very long. The daylillies and lillies lasted a lot longer. I grew violets during the winter, and they did very well. Car radiator heat and summer heat killed them though once things warmed up. I grew hibiscus in containers, and they have given me ~3 flowers/week EVERY week for about 6 months now. I brought them inside 3-4 times this winter. Ruelia was also fun, but I think it didn't like the heat.
This year I'm trying iris and daffodils as well.
I've been reading about square foot vegetable gardening, and think that would be a good option too. I tried a small square of spinach, and got several dishes out of it. Trying carrots and beans now. Growing onions and garlic in containers. Started them in December, harvesting the garlic now.