I live in California, which is usually a gardeners paradise, I am in the San Francisco bay area, the climate is very temperate, you can grow just about anything. But we are in a major drought this year, so that has been challenging, we have to be very frugal with water. We have a small lot, our house is in a "new urban" development, which means houses are close together, only five foot easements on the side. It's amazing what you can grow in such a small space. We grow a lot of things in pots, all pots are on a drip system with a timer, that makes it a lot easier, no daily watering, and it takes less water. I mix herbs and veggies in here and there, we are somewhat challenged in that many areas do not get a lot of sun, so there is no place for a dedicated vegetable garden. I compost food scraps with yard waste, that allows me to use less fertilizer.
We have been here five years and I just completed this project. Our living and dining room look out on this fence. I have been wanting to do something since we moved in, but couldn't decide what. I finally decided on sedums, they are drought tolerant, very hardy and don't need a lot of maintenance. I built the boxes from some old wood I had on hand. I bought some vintage children's chairs from the antique mall where I sell my goods, I put some petunias in them, I can easily switch them out for something else as the seasons change. I am not finished, I am plans to do the entire length. 
