If you do not want to install a stucco fence, if city code allows intall a short electric fence along the back property line to discourage wild animals from invading and eating your landscaping. Then Plant two rows of Thuja Plicata Green Giants in a staggered pattern for the entire length of your house. Plant all the trees on 10 foot centers, and be sure to dig the planting holes for the back row of trees at least 6 feet away from the easement. Also, space the center holes for the front row of trees at least 10 feet infront of the back row. X,,,X,,,X,,,X,,,X...X...X...X...X...X...X ...X...X,,,X...X...X...X...X...X...X...X county drainage easment, county drainage easement As you can see from the planting example created by the rows of Xs above, it will take 21 trees planted on 10 feet centers to cover each 100 linear feet of your back boundry that you want to plant with Thuja Plicata Green Giants. If you want to plant them for nearly the length of your home and and if that linear length is more than 200 feet, then you will need to plant more than 42 of these trees. If you wanted to plant the entire 400 yard linear boundry line than you will need to plant 84 of these trees. If you can purchase 84 one gallon sized potted trees, purchasing that many should be much easier on your budget. For each of these one gallon size trees you choose to purchase just predig holes 3 feet wide in diameter by 10 inches to 1 foot deep. Also pre install a drip watering system with outlets, which once the trees are planted, can be positioned to water each tree individually. A high graded quality one gallon Thuja Plicata Green Giant tree should be anywhere from 12 to 18 inches tall and have a well filled in pyramid shape. If the winters are mild in your part of California, then one gallon trees that are watered correctly and given slow release non burning fertilizer at the beginning of each growing season, should be expected to acclimate fairly quickly and grow at least 6 to 12 inches during the first year after you plant them. The next year if you have been good to keep them watered properly, and fertized at the approprate times, they should grow at least an addtional 3 feet. By the end of the 3rd year if you have still kept them watered at the right amounts, and fertilized appropriately, then they should have grown an additional 5 feet. That means your trees by the end of the 3rd year, could at the very least have grown to be about 11 feet tall. By that time, it is possible that they could have spread enough, if you planted two staggered rows to almost be giving you a solid wall affect for at least the 4 feet up the trees' height. Every year there after they should grow at about 5 feet, and as long as you keep them fertilized properly their skinny new top growth should keep filling out at a fairly nice pace. Other wise if the trees are not fertilized at the beginning of their growing season, but if they get the right amount of soil moisture, they will grow taller, but the new growth will look thin and sparce, while taking over six months or more to ever fill out with a well balanced branching pattern. If your trees begin to take on such an appearance, by all means resist the temptation to snip of that thin up shoot of growth. Instead simply begin feeding and watering the tree properlly and it will respond by producing a nice amount of branches on that upshoot of new growth and also, follow that with more new height growth. With these trees, always remember that any branch you cut off at the trunk will not grow back, so if for any reason the lower branches become brown due to the tree not getting enough water, or the tree's roots suffocating from too much water, do not cut those branches off to the trunk. So do not purchase trees which have a lot of lower trunk showing. Also if after plantings the trees encounter too dry of soil and begin to brown. Do not prune away the brown branches. Instead you can remove the dead needles if you would like, and simply begin making certain the tree gets adequate moisture. Then be patient and if you have begun the better care paractices in time, you can be assured the tree will grow new green needles on those bare dead looking branches you left on the tree. If the tree's lower branches begin to die due to soggy soil conditions which suffocate the tree's root system, you should wait to see if these dead looking branches will recover, with proper care of the tree, but in that situation there is not such a high chance these will respond as well as desired. If you plant a wall of these trees, than to prevent them looking boring consider planting a variety of shorter and not to broad of spreading ornamentsl shrubs planted and spaced appropriately infront and lined up with the middle of the front row of tree's spacing. At the feet of the ornamental shrubs you could install a border planting of continuously flowering, or very decorative leafed one to two feet tall potential growing plants or shrubs.

Yes, the neighbors are just right there. Fortunately, they don't have windows on that side of the house, so once the area is fenced and landscaped, it'll be more private. We're planning on evergreens along the property line in that area. I only have one quote so far from a local bricks and mortar store. I've looked at a few online sources, but I don't trust measuring and installing ourselves. We have HD and Lowes coming out this week. Each window is 17sf, so the price per sf is $31.36 including installation and tax, plus $15 shipping per window. The quote includes the MBR windows upstairs, so the front of the house will have the shutters. We also were quoted by the same company for lined woven Hunter Douglas shades in the front of the house and the quote 10% higher than the shutters! We'd need privacy lining for all 5 and the top down/bottom up option downstairs. Since could install those ourselves, so we're pricing them online. The whole house with shutters in the front and bathroom and HD shades in the dining area and mudroom was quoted at $4900, so the dining area shades will be custom, but probably come from a discounter or big box. We definitely need to add some life to the front porch. I love the idea of a few hanging baskets and tall planters with various plants. The builder will plant two 12ft high birch trees after the construction is complete on this street. I worry about fabric shades, just because my tastes changes pretty quickly. We'd have to go very basic and neutral to guarantee I won't tire of it and they're even more expensive than shutters. Personally, I'd be fine with simple panels (hopefully found at a huge discount) and heavy wooden rods, but DH wants something more permanent that has more presence from the street. I could do each window for about $250 by sewing myself and using discounted fabrics and hardware. I'm usually quick to make a decision, but I'm frozen on this one. Thanks for everyone's advice.

Ah, I see you're in Alabama; didn't catch that before. You must be at the southern edge of their range. In November we visited our daughter and son-in-law who had moved to Alabama in July, just south of Birmingham and I think I've seen enough crepe myrtle now to last the rest of my life. Nikko-O - Sherry is right about not trying to do it all at once. It's good to have an overall scheme in mind, and add according to that general scheme, knowing that you may have to make adjustments along the way. There are a couple of books you might look for in your local library: Native Plants of the Northeast by Donald Leopold (assuming you are in the northeast), The Layered Garden by David Culp, and The Living Landscape by Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke. Any of these, or even some photos from them that might show up in an online review, might prove very inspirational for you. One of the things I love about gardening is the opportunity to be creative and resourceful. Enjoy the process!

This might work both to give you privacy and for safety. Plant a low maintenance hedge along the top of the retaining wall and then build a 2' high and 2' deep planter or seat above and parallel to your wall and hedge using a solid material other than your retaining wall material and other than your fence material -- consider brick or stone or concrete block -- and then lattice or other fence atop the back wall of that planter. Something similar to this could work as the back wall of your planter with fence. https://www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/the-edit/advice-on-planning-permission-for-trellis-fence-toppers Edited: Doing that, the hedge would be atop your retaining wall and behind your planter on which you put your fence so you'd want a low growing shrub that would not grow against and hold water against any wood fencing you put atop your planter. You'd also need to consider the space taken up by the hedge and planter and how much of your "usable" yard that would take away from a patio or other plan. Something else to consider might be a portico with with a lattice wall.