WOW!!!! Your garden is amazing!
Our climates are similar so I'll give it a bit of thought and get back with ideas - agapanthos would be beautiful (both blue and white) but off the cuff.... I think that spot would make a lovely space for sitting by the water ... without any really big plants. what do you think? there is already SO much going on... (btw, is it flat or sloped- hard to judge)
dory

While I like agapanthus they only bloom once a year and then just have big strappy leaves.

Why don't you look into creeping red fescue? This is a grass you apply by seed. You never need to mow it.

You need to get a handle on the Bermuda weed problem first before you replant with anything. It is getting late to do a good job of eradicating it for this year as it will soon go dormant. I really takes two or three very thought application of Round up to really get rid of the stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:564145}}

How about the woolly thyme. I don't know if it grows in that area, but you can walk on it and it would look lovely in that setting.

Some of the red thyme are also grand.

I really like the look of some of the Juniperus horizontalis hybrids, especially the ones that have beautiful fall foliage. I wish I had a sloping area to plant them. :)

Brenda

Here is a link that might be useful: Google pics of assorted J.h.'s

Bergenias with its big round leaves is a ground cover plant that looks tropical but is hardy in Utah!..right now you can find it in full bloom covered in pink blossoms. Ajuga is another ground cover.Or Liriope-especialy the dwarf mondo grass.
It's great to see a tropical style yard that isnt 200 species of palm. The water adds movement that make plant only gardens look like their full of statues.

Thanks to all of you that have made suggestions so far. I am very intrigued by one and that is the junipers. They could be shaped as large tree like sculptures (bonzai) leaning over the edge into the pond and stream with maybe bronze ajuga as suggested and Japanese maple to accent. Any more thoughts? I really appreciate your input.

Here is a link that might be useful: My pond.

Junipers can make great sculptures for gardens. I've only recently learned to appreciate the flowing growth pattern of some of them, not unlike water.

I used to think they were just ugly plants people put in so they wouldn't have to do much else, and with rocks, it can be even worse. LOL

Used correctly, they can become magnificent specimens.

Brenda

There's also Creeping Thyme that get's 3-5" tall and looks good flowering or just green and works well in rocks or or bare places.
For tropical looking plants why not some bird of paradises or are those too cliched? I think your backyard pond is just beautiful and must be very relaxing to sit outside and enjoy. Leslie

Here is a link that might be useful: thyme

How about Yerba Buena (Satureja douglasii)? You can walk on it and it will smell really nice when you do. A few Douglas Irises here and there. I picture some kind of bulbs there in that strip between the water features. Maybe some Taro along the edges of the water, too.

It looks like such a serene place to be. How lucky you are (not that I think it's luck that your garden got that way!) =)

I'm not sure what sunset zone Bakersfield is in, but Succulents look great around ponds and there are many to choose from. Some of the clumping/spreading types of Cotyledon (C. orbiculata) or Aloes or small Agaves (A. geminiflora), maybe Echeveria imbricata or some of the Echeverias or Semperviviums or Sedums. Those are just a few suggestions, but there are many interesting and colorful succulents out there with great texture and interesting flowers. Maybe a couple of colorful Phormiums (New Zealand Flax) for height.

BUT....do get rid of the Bermuda grass before you plant anything. Otherwise that stuff will come back to haunt you.

wanda