I forgot to mention that my son's house is in zone 8, Tuscaloosa Alabama.

Cheryllou,

The Sky Pencil might work. Have a look at the linky.

Here is a link that might be useful: tall-n-narrow shrub.

Have you considered an evergreen vine on a trellis or attached to the wall? Very few shrubs are going to fit this size bed. The arbovitae get 25 or 30 feet tall, even if you liked them. I personally think the "sky pencil" holly looks sparse. But taste is a personal matter.

Sky pencil's also have iffy performance. Overbred or something. Lousy root system.

Is there a sidewalk or other obstacle that would keep the shrubs from being larger than 30 inches. I plant my shrubs no closer than 3 feet from the house that way there is space between the shrub and the wall.

That said, I planted an Irish yew. Needles I know, but unusual. Mine was 6 feet tall and 9 inches wide. $$$
Bought it at a local nursery.

There are many upright Junipers available. I don't know how well they do in Alabama, but should be fine. A local nurdery can advise you. The Skyrocket is the most formal and narrow growth pattern. I personally also like the Spartan Juniper. Check the local nurseries or the local agricaltural university extension agency.

DP

Ilex glabra (inkberry holly) tends to grow narrowly upright and can get to 10ft at maturity. It has a loose form but can be pruned to increase density.

'de groots spire' arbovitae are quite narrow w/ rich green foliage. even some specimens of 'emerald'('smargd') arbovitae can be narrow- you need to hand pick them.
best, mindy