Better check on the type of soil they require. The soil in Utah tends to be to alkaline for some plants. Do your homework before you buy. You wont be sorry you did.

Buckthorns do just fine in Utah. In some states they are noxious weeds but not here. There's a very nice hedge of it growing outside the Fine Arts building at Utah State. It's against a wall in a courtyard area and is about 8' high but only occupies 1 foot of width- I'm sure it's trimmed to get it perfectly tight like that.

There's a newer form of Buckthorn that is especially pretty- it's called 'Fine Line' and has glossy, ferny foliage. I've used it quite a bit in installations. It's a good foundation plant for those odd 2' wide gaps builders seem to leave between walkways and foundations.

As bindersbee suggested, I'd look into the buckthorn known as Rhamnus frangula 'Ron Williams' FINE LINE. In my experience, the columnar buckthorns don't usually spread as long as they are planted in dryer areas.

I have 5 buckthorn columnaris about 8-10 years old growing on the property. They are planted in areas that are normally dry (but near rain gutter downspouts), and after they were established have not normally recieved additional watering. I have noticed that when the late summer rains come, there are a LOT of seedlings that sprout under some of the parent plants. They end up drying out eventually, while they are still small. I can just imagine how they could possibly try to take over if the seedlings were watered from our neighbors' sprinkler system, though.

Crystal