According to Landscape Plants for Dry Climates (written by a faculty member at UA), Ficus Nitida in the ground should be watered every week or two in the hot season and every month or two in the cool but they also point out that many established trees seem to do fine without water - while its not really a low water use plant it certainly is not a water hog. They also recommend them as large container plants. Personally I absolutely love them. I bought one which I have not yet planted cause I don't know where to put it. I might put it in a container - I am concerned about how big it will get in the ground and the roots. I keep changing my mind about where to put it. I also absolutely love Palo Brea which I will put in my yard when I convert it to Xeriscape. I love Ironwood and Jacarandas and Agaves. On the other hand, I'm indifferent to palms and don't care for Chilean Mesquite. There is a Acacia which I can't even be close to when it blooms cause the smell makes me gag. Unfortunately there are tons of them by my work building - guess its not so bad that I'm losing my job :)

Riding 4 Life: Forgive my short answer. You had so many broad-stroke needs, I thought it best to suggest a book, the best book, on the subject so that yo can have a proper starting point. (By the way, the Sunset Western Garden Book would tell you that lemon grass is not hardy in Zone 14.) Here's a semi-short list of proven plants for Zone 14. These will take your blinding sun, your hot summers and your cold winters. Medium to Large Trees -- Cedrus deodara DEODAR CEDAR Cedrus libanii atlantica ATLAS CEDAR Gleditsia triacanthos inermis THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST Pinus brutia/eldarica AFGHAN PINES Pinus pinea ITALIAN STONE PINE Platanus x acerifolia LONDON PLANE TREE Zelkova serrata SAW-LEAF ZELKOVA Small to Medium Trees -- Aesculus x carnea RED HORSECHESTNUT Brahea armata MEXICAN BLUE HESPER PALM Butia capitata BLUE PINDO PALM Cercidium floridum BLUE PALO VERDE Cercis siliquastrum JUDAS TREE x Chitalpa tashkentensis CHILTALPA Eucalyptus polyanthemos SILVER DOLLAR GUM Juniperus scopulorum Tolleson's Blue Weeping BLUE WEEPING JUNIPER Koelreuteria elegans FLAMEGOLD Koelreuteria paniculata GOLDENRAIN TREE Lagerstroemia (standard) CRAPE MYRTLES Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Olea europaea OLIVE Parkinsonia aculeata MEXICAN PALO VERDE Pistacia chinensis CHINESE PISTACHE Sophora japonica Regent JAPANESE PAGODA TREE Trachycarpus fortunei WINDMILL PALM Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Trees to create fast shade -- Acer truncatum SHANTUNG MAPLE Gleditsia triacanthos inermis (esp. Shademaster, Skyline) HONEY LOCUST Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Populus fremontii FREMONT COTTONWOOD Pyrus calleryana (esp. Aristocrat, Bradford, Holmford, Trinity) CALLERY PEAR Ulmus parvifolia CHINESE ELM Zelkova serrata SAWLEAF ZELKOVA Large Shrubs -- Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana PINEAPPLE GUAVA Caesalpinia pulcherrima BARBADOS PRIDE, RED BIRD-OF-PARADISE Callistemon citrinus LEMON BOTTLEBRUSH Dodonaea viscosa PURPLE HOPBUSH Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsonii WILSON HOLLY Juniperus (many) JUNIPERS Punica granatum Legrellei, Nochi Shibori, Tanyosho ORNAMENTAL POMEGRANATES Rhaphiolepis Majestic Beauty M. B. INDIAN HAWTHORNE Vitex agnus-castus CHASTE TREE Small to Medium Shrubs -- Abelia x grandiflora ABELIA Leucophyllum frutescens TEXAS RANGER Myrtus communis ROMAN MYRTLE Nandina domestica HEAVENLY BAMBOO Nerium oleander "Petite" series OLEANDER Rosmarinus officinalis ROSEMARY Senna (Cassia) artemisioides FEATHERY CASSIA Senna wislizenii SHRUBBY SENNA Teucrium fruticans BUSH GERMANDER Twining Vines -- Akebia quinata FIVELEAF AKEBIA Gelsemium sempervirens CAROLINA JESSAMINE Muehlenbeckia complexa MATTRESS VINE, WIRE VINE Solanum jasminoides WHITE POTATO VINE Wisteria (many kinds) WISTERIA Tendril Vines -- Vitis californica Rogers Red, Walker Ridge RED-LEAF CALIFORNIA GRAPE Vitis coignetiae CRIMSON GLORY VINE Vitis vinifera Purpurea PURPLE-LEAF GRAPE Tendril-Clinging Vines -- * for wrapping onto small-mesh fencing or for "clinging" onto any very rough surface Bignonia capreolata CROSSVINE Campsis x tagliabuana* TRUMPET CREEPER Macfadyena unguis-cati* CATS-CLAW Disk-Clinging Vines -- Parthenocissus henryana SILVERVEIN CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia VIRGINIA CREEPER Parthenocissus tricuspidata BOSTON IVY Clambering/Scrambling Vines -- Rosa banksiae LADY BANKS ROSE Rosa Cecile Brunner SWEETHEART ROSE Rosa x Mermaid MERMAID ROSE Rosa Absolutely, Jeanne Lajoie, Nozomi Red Cascade, Work of Art MINIATURE CLIMBING ROSES Ground Covers -- Baccharis pilularis Twin Peaks TRAILING COYOTE BRUSH Gazania rigens leucolaena GAZANIA Juniperus horizontalis Wiltonii BLUE CARPET JUNIPER Rosmarinus officinalis (trailing types) CREEPING ROSEMARY Trachelospermum asiaticum ASIATIC JESSAMINE Vinca minor SMALL PERIWINKLE Perennials Achillea Moonshine MOONSHINE YARROW Achillea fillipendulina WOOLY YARROW Achillea hybrids HYBRID YARROWS Agastache aurantiaca ORANGE HYSSOP-MINT Agastache hybrids (many) HYBRID HYSSOP-MINTS Agastache rupestris SUNSET HYSSOP Agave parryi PARRYS CENTURY PLANT Agave shawii SHAWS CENTURY PLANT Artemisia Powis Castle WORMWOOD Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dietes FORTNIGHT LILY Euphorbia characias wulfenii CHARTREUSE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia myrsinites BLUE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia rigida MEDITERRANEAN EUPHORBIA Euphorbia x martinii RED EUPHORBIA Helianthemum nummularium SUN ROSE Helictotrichon sempervirens BLUE OAT GRASS Hemerocallis DAYLILIES Hesperaloe parviflora RED YUCCA Muhlenbergia dumosa BAMBOO MUHLY Nepeta Six Hills Giant GIANT CATMINT Nepeta racemosa Walkers Low CATMINT Nepeta x faassenii CATMINT Opuntia violacea santa-rita BLUE-BLADE Penstemon eatonii FIRECRACKER PENSTEMON Penstemon palmeri PALMER BEARDTONGUE Penstemon pseudospectabilis DESERT BEARDTONGUE Phlomis russeliana HARDY JERUSALEM-SAGE Phygelius hybrids CAPE FUCHSIA Pyrethropsis hosmariense MT. ATLAS DAISY Ruellia brittoniana MEXICAN BLUEBELL, DESERT PETUNIA Salvia chamaedryoides GERMANDER SAGE Stachys albotomentosa HIDALGO Verbena rigida SANDPAPER VERBENA Verbena tenuisecta MOSS VERBENA As for barrier (thorny) plants: Agave parryi, shawii SMALLER AGAVES Berberis buxifolia MAGELLAN BARBERRY Berberis darwinii DARWIN BARBERRY Berberis julianae WINTERGREEN BARBERRY Berberis nevinii NEVIN'S BARBERRY Chaenomeles (tall types) FLOWERING QUINCE Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsoni WILSONS HOLLY Opuntia ficus-indica PRICKLY PEAR Pyracantha (many) FIRETHORN Ribes speciosa FUCHSIA-FLOWERING GOOSEBERRY Rosa laevigata CHEROKEE ROSE Rose "Simplicity" Series SIMPLICITY ROSE Rose Pearl Sevillana (shrub; semi-double pearly white/cream) Rosa californica Elsie (native; single magenta-pink) Rose Wildberry Breeze (hybrid rugosa; mauve blend) Rose Wild Spice (rugosa hybrid; single white/blush) Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Joe

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Westell, vitex is a beautiful tree. I've been doing my reading. And thanks for the mock-up davissue. I really do need to figure out how to use my photoshop. You've given me the incentive to dust off the box and learn. You're catching the right idea. The shrub I select will be slightly bigger than what you've placed under the window. I want to completely cover the stone facade. I'm really liking t-man's suggestion of lavatera. Terrestrial Man, I've been researching lavatera and I do like it. When you say that you worry it might not like our temp extremes, are you talking about frost? We do get that from time-to-time, but we really don't get the hard freezes like Napa does. Heat is another story. It does get warm here in the Summer. We should have a pretty good canopy of jacaranda within a couple of years (we bought a 15 foot specimin - instant gratification syndrome don't cha know). There are kids in the neighborhood, but they know better than to come into mean ol' Mr. Steven's yard. Now that the Pig People are gone (yes, like the pigs from Willow, just on meth), things have gotten sooooooo much better. Foot traffic shouldn't be a problem. As far as the soil being compacted. Yep. And that isn't lawn you're seeing, it's mostly whacked weeds. We're taking about three inches of soil off the entire surface and bringing in a load of amendment and tilling it in. We hope to have the picket fence and arbor finished over Memorial Day weekend. Then comes the real fun. Rose over the arbor and along the fence, and loads of bloomers everywhere. If we add grass, it will be a very small area. The slope will primarily be low water thrivers with a few nice boulders judiciously placed. I'm really starting to get into some of the ornamental grasses mixed with all manner of things from Annie's Annuals. But I must be stopped when we hit $10K. Not much of a budget, but I'm creative. Catching myself. Get just one Manhattan in me and I'll blather on all night. Sorry to ramble. Thanks again for the suggestions everyone.

I have a very tall (at least 12 feet) Podocarpus gracillior hedge on 3 sides of my yard which serves as a privacy screen from 2-story neighbors on all sides. We have a pool, and although it doesn't break up concrete and is an effective screen, it is a MAJOR maintenance chore and I wouldn't recommend it, unless you like getting up on a ladder and trimming constantly. I would love to rip it out. I also have an Australian willow (Geijera parviflora), which is an evergreen, very pretty, slighty weeping, not a lot of litter, well-behaved-roots tree. This might be a good solution for what looks like a narrow spot where the neighbor's balcony is and where your concrete starts. I've seen them grow with either a roundish canopy or taller and narrower canopy. When choosing a tree, if you want a narrower silhouette, pick a young tree that's narrower. It casts light shade and isn't a dense tree like some others, but it will certainly soften the intrusion from the neighbors and provide some relief from the kiddies. Another favorite of mine which many people may eschew, is Nichol's eucaplyptus (or Eucalyptus nicholii). I have three of them and I love them. They are tall, as tall as my 2-story house, and willowy. They grow in very narrow spots and don't break up concrete. They don't get as tall as the eucalpytus you seen along the freeways (E. citriodora). The E. citriodora (or lemon gum) is also susceptible to the psyllid which is killing many of them. (I had a lemon gum which got the pysllid and a nicholii 10 feet away from it which didn't. I had the citriodora removed and the nicholii is still just fine.) Some people however, complain that because of the toxins in the eucalyptus leaves, they can't grow anything below them. I don't have that problem, but you might want to keep that in mind. They are also very difficult to find, but there are nurseries that can order them if you really want one. I recently had a large melaleuca tree removed because it was too close to the pool and was about to bust through. We are now naked to the world (or so it seems) in that spot. Rather than plant more of the hedge-from-hell, I plan to to plant a naturalistic collection of evergreen trees and plants that will act as a hedge, but not require the constant upkeep of a hedge. I'm in Huntington Beach, BTW. Good luck!