Green X could use something dense that gets to a decent height in a decent amount of time. I would use Springtime Viburnum or Common Myrtle sheared into an egg. I love myrtle eggs. Mine gets pretty white flowers at this time of year.

You may want to consider Duranta repens for the yellow x. A dwarf bottlebrush standard will weep for you, and they stay small. Brugmansia would look great. It sounds like an ideal spot for one. Put something like native sword ferns below so that you don't have to pick up all of the dead blossoms. I have a very nice Euphorbia that looks like a smoke tree- stays small, easy to prune into shape. It may live there. I'll take a photo tomorrow.

I'd plant duranta up against the wood fence too. The variegated green and white ones would look great, and they get about ten feet tall.

I love the shape of the path you laid out.
Renee

Renee, thank you for the suggestions. I'm often tempted to buy Duranta repens but Sunset says it grows to 10-25 ft. tall, 6-10 ft. wide, and Duranta in general needs continual thinning and pruning to stay under control --- yikes... that sends up red flags because I've ignored those warnings in the past and lived to regret it. After seeing it in a very large pot on a friend's patio, I've wanted to try it ever since. Sunset also recommends full sun. Do the variegated ones stay smaller? They tend to be less vigorous.

Myrtle - I like that too.

No, just the opposite. My variegated white and the yellow are both much bigger than the plain green ones. I find them all well-behaved plants, easy to prune and shape, and not very huge. The yellow one is 14 feet tall, whereas the green ones I have had have never topped 8 feet. I grow some in almost full shade, and they stay much smaller- about five feet.
I forgot to take the photo. I'll do it tomorrow.
Renee

Thanks Renee. Our soil seems to have steroids as plants seem to get bigger than expected, so I sometimes err on the side of caution. :-)

I'm also considering Salvia madrensis or S. regla for the Yellow X. We have S. regla on the north side of the house in unamended clay soil. It has thrived there for several years since I started it with a cutting I stuck in the ground.

Here's the Euphorbia. It cannot survive hard frosts.
This one is about ten years old, and does not really grow any taller than this, but I cut back frost damage occasionally. I have not shaped it this year. I hope someone knows the proper name for it!

{{gwi:545432}}

Thanks Renee -- really appreciate your posting the photo. I hope someone can ID it -- I like the size, shape, and color.

Found it.
Caribbean Copper plant. Euphorbia contino something.

Here is a link that might be useful: San Marcos grower

Oooh... I like that. With respect to frost protection, what type of exposure -- and how much sun -- does yours get? I can visualized it in a few different spots in our yard. Our winter temps can dip as low as mid-20s (rare), but usually no lower than the bottom 30s.

Euphorbia cotinifolia.

Thanks Nancy. Sunset says Euphorbia cotinifolia likes full sun and "can't take frost". I think it won't like the site marked by the Yellow X in winter when it will be in open bright shade with little (if any - I don't recall now) direct sun... in summer, sun until noon. Perhaps next to the shed by the fence where it will get sun from late morning into the mid/late afternoon. It's beautiful and I'd sure love to try it in the right spot.

Anyone else have any suggestions? Am I asking the impossible, LOL? :-)