OK, so I'm going to guess that in the very first picture in your, OP, the house is just out of sight to the left? I am also just beginning to realize how being a committed DIYer can wreck your life. OK, I'm overstating the matter, but I get your drift. I've just decided to hire out almost my first thing ever (OK, we had our roof and gutters done) in hiring someone do make me a website, and even at that my husband asked why I don't just learn to do it myself!! I realize I could have the thing up in two weeks if I hire it out vs. two years and still malfunctioning at that if I DIY. DIY is kind of a luxury. You get to figure it out as you go along, change your mind at a couple of points, and make decisions as you're ready for them vs. all up front. And you get to go at your own pace. This isn't like a leaky roof; there's no urgency to this. So I can't say I'd try to talk you out of DIY in this, but the pitfalls that Yardvaark lists are true enough. On the other hand it's a small area and you aren't going to end up with an "oops" 80-y-o silver maple in the middle of it. And DIY is often about making the trip up the learning curve as much as it is about the end result. You just need to figure out whether the former matters to you this time. You could hire a designer for an hour just to talk it over, and past that, much may depend on whether you have the money to spend. Or you could buy $50 worth of plants that appeal to you to start with, stick them in, and see how they do and how you enjoy them. You might need to figure out if you are planning for the near view or the drive-by... will you get out and pluck a few weeds, check the development of some flower buds, and watch the bulb tips emerge every time you get out of the car, or will you barely notice as you zip into the garage? Or will your eyes rest on this as you look out a window or off the balcony? In which case plant form and structure will be more important. I think DIY or not, and if not then budget, are among your first decisions. Karin L

Thanks Duchesse - it is good to remind me about the overall look of a rose bush - it is way too easy to get carried away by how pretty the flowers are and forget about the rest of the greenery! lol Hubby and I are changing our minds by the minute as to the direction we want to go for certain, but have some lovely specimens to consider for sure! I personally like the somewhat more wild look compared to the pristine hedge - so maybe seafoam as a groundcover somewhere would be a good thing... Angelcub: Thanks so much for the recommendation - and the links to your gardens! WOW!!! Some gorgeous specimens there. I think I may need to move to California (or next to you / Pappu or some other master gardener...wait, on second thought - my modest efforts look much better next to people with ever green shrubs... lol) What is 'Arnold'? It's gorgeous. :) Rebecca

Thanks everyone for the feedback!! I bit the bullet and just finished planting 3 Leyland Cypress. I know it will be a chore to keep them in check if I do hedge them and I have the enough garden space to allow the growth. Actually, I think this is the first time I have planted something this large. They will add some dimension to the garden which is a plus. I do have one more question: When I took them out of the pots and removed the ties and burlap, they were in heavy clay type soil and not a lot of roots. They were in 3.5 gallon containers. The growth is about 3 feet high and wide. I loosened and removed some to most of the soil. Is this normal to have so little roots?

You don't seem to be getting much joy here, so you might want to search the California Forum which seems fairly active. I went to the CA forum and did a search in the top box "Search in GardenWeb" with the word "shrubs" and chose the option that popped up for limiting the search to the California Forum. Here's one thread that popped up that might be useful to you. I didn't check beyond that, though there were many other threads that looked like they might help, but often a search will give you a bunch of info that pertains to your situation. Since you know your situation best, it helps if you give as much information as possible, such as you want to have the center of the yard available for family activities (as you stated two posts up) or you have a dog that likes to patrol the border or . . . A few general comments: If you use a mix of plants with clusters and repetition of plants along the wall, it will give you some variety and if one plant dies, you don't have to search for an exact replacement since there is already variety in the mix. I wouldn't do one huge block of one type and another huge block of another type - that always looks awkward to me and has the same issue of replacement as well as if a disease takes them all out, you are left with nothing, whereas a mixed shrub border rarely all dies at once. Consider small trees with branches that will reach above the wall as part of the mix to vary the height so that it doesn't end up feeling like a fortress of green. You might also want to consider vines on a trellis along with shrubs and small trees. Trust me, plants really won't add noise screening, though your wall will; I just want you to have realistic expectations. (I live in the boonies where in places there is something like 1/4 mile of woods between me and traffic, and noise decreases due to distance but not any different due to taller plants vs. open field.) If you can add to the top of the wall, that will improve sound screening a bit, or you can add ambient noise to your yard that may distract, such as a small water feature with dropping water (perhaps not appropriate in your arid climate) or plants that rustle when the wind blows. The plants will provide visual privacy, however, and that seems to be your main focus, and will add appeal to the wall from both sides once they reach over the top. How far to put them away from the wall depends on several factors, including how big the wall's underground foundations are; how wide the shrub is supposed to get (take half of the shrub's reported width and since this is given usually at 5-10 years, add a couple of feet since it will usually get larger) and this will be the distance from the wall to aim for; and how much time you want to put into pruning in order to maintain that width. It's a long stretch of wall, and it sounds like you have a family, so you probably want to choose something that doesn't need a lot of trimming. Another maintenance thing to consider is water. Since many areas now have watering restrictions in CA, I'd plant things that will be OK if you can't water them at all for a season. They will need water the first season while they establish, but after that should be able to survive without. Plan on using mulch (I am not sure what type is appropriate for your area, since although organic mulches such as chopped leaves or shredded bark is most appropriate here, I often see inorganics such as gravel used in low water areas.) Ask on the CA forum once you have your plants chosen which mulch would be best in your area. Mulch will help reduce weeds and increase moisture retention. Good luck. I'd love to see what you end up with. PS - I'd also add your location and zone to your profile so it posts along with your name. That way everyone knows where you are before opening your thread, and you may get more helpful responses. Here's how: Go to Your Houzz in upper right of every page, click Edit Profile, and on the left side click advanced settings. Well down the advanced settings page is a blank labeled Climate Zone for Garden Forums along with a link to find your zone. If you add info on your state or the nearest large city you will get even better information since zone only relates to average coldest winter temperatures. Then return to the top of the page and click Done Editing.