I want to thank everyone who took the time to post such detailed and wonderful advice here! My renovation is finally done and I am getting ready to plant. At last! I have been closely reviewing all the suggestions and advice and have come up with what I hope is a good plan. I had 6" of sand removed, added an equal amount of compost and have irrigation going in as soon as I finalize my planting scheme. I have been using Pinterest to gather images of all the plants you recommended and narrow down selections. The San Marcos Growers site as well as some of the other links posted have been invaluable as a resource for what is available in my area and in helping select appropriate plants. I am attaching my plan. The house faces the ocean but there is a parking lot & a lot of tourist foot traffic in between so we put up a 4' wall with another 2' of semi-open wood fence on top. Also, just to the south west of the house is a large lifeguard station / maintenance area that isn't pretty to look at so the tree is placed to soften the view of that. Finally, the sides of the house remain sand in this plan. On the north side, there is only 16" to our property line and on the south side, the same plus another 3' that belongs to our neighbor. That area is needed for access and I'm not sure what else to do with it. I am imagining gravel would just get mixed in and covered with sand soon anyway? I guess we could pour concrete?) I am also including a link to my Pinterest page with the plant selection. There are a couple extras as I can't quite decide which Leucadendron & which Protea I prefer. I would love to hear any thoughts or comments before I start buying plants! Thanks again!

Welcome to Garden Web! I thought you might like to know that there is no way to email you the way you have your preferences set. I suggest you go to the bottom of any page here and click on 'Member Pages'. then Edit Preferences. Then using the drop down box, set it to show your email addy to Members only. then check the box to allow others to email you via the forms here at GW. That will place a link on your member page so folks can reach you. You might also want to (while you are there) fill in your gardening zone, and your state abbreviation. The state abbreviation goes in the same box as the zone. Happy Gardening and trading. Also member retsec cannot be reached, so you two it seems are at a standstill until at least one of you set your prferences so you can be reached. Sue

You are on the right track with the ideas that (1) you want a hedge that is somewhat permeable to allow the break to baffle the wind and (2) you want two rows in the planting to better direct the wind up and WAY over. I suggest the windward, lower row could be: Cistus x skanbergii HYBRID ROCK ROSE Leptospermum scoparium NEW ZEALAND TEA TREE Westringia fruticosa COAST ROSEMARY And the leeward, taller row could be: Cupressus arizonica ARIZONA CYPRESS Lavatera assurgentiflora TREE MALLOW Leptospermum laevigatum AUSTRALIAN TEA TREE Melaleuca nesophila WESTERN TEA MYRTLE Melaleuca styphelioides BLACK TEA TREE Pittosporum crassifolium KARO Joe

There aren't a lot of truly "dwarf trees". You say you don't want a "bush or shrub" but your limit of 15 feet pretty much rules out true trees (which many botanists say start at 20 feet) and leaves you with the opportunity to take a tall-growing shrub and train it to look like a tree. Shrubs trained as such -- single trunk with a crown -- are called "standards". Usually marketed as "patio trees". Here's a few ideas: Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana PINEAPPLE GUAVA Banksia ashbyi ASHBY'S BANKSIA Banksia coccinea SCARLET BANKSIA Ceanothus arboreus 'Blue Mist', 'Cliff Schmidt', 'Thundercloud', 'Trewithen Blue' TREE CEANOTHUS Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Snow Flurry' SNOW FLURRY CEANOTHUS Cercocarpus betuloides MOUNTAIN IRONWOOD Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Cotinus coggygria SMOKETREE Escallonia laevis PINK ESCALLONIA Escallonia x exoniensis 'Balfouri', 'Frades' HYBRID ESCALLONIA Grevillea 'Honeygem', 'Ivanhoe', 'Long John', 'Poorinda Blondie', 'Red Hooks' HYBRID GREVILLEA Leptospermum lanigerum WOOLY TEA TREE Leptospermum polygalifolium 'Yarra River' RED SPIRE TEA TREE Melaleuca decussata LILAC MELALEUCA Melaleuca elliptica GRANITE BOTTLEBRUSH Osmanthus fragrans SWEET OLIVE Pittosporum crassifolium KARO Pittosporum eugenioides TARATA Pittosporum tenuifolium KOHUHU, TAWHIWI Psidium cattleianum STRAWBERRY GUAVA Rhaphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty' M. B. INDIAN HAWTHORNE All of these need some work (pruning) to make them look like a tree (single trunk, crown). Some more than others (as already pointed out with Cercis occidentalis). You didn't say why you need it to top out at 15 feet. Are there utility wires or a view from the house or? Joe