Title meant to be a ? Not a! Here is a sad old pic before trees removal, covered in ivy.

Small inspiration pic, though mine won!t be so detailed in lovely small plantings, I'm afraid.

Could you show a wider view?

Why did you want to get rid of the groundcover?

O.k., will do tomorrow. The ivy croaked along with the alders....which believe got oak root rot. Now that it's gone, I'd prefer plumbago to ivy.

Plumbago and ivy are not comparable in form. Your vision of plumbago is as a hedge? From your description, it sounds like you are creating 3 horizontal stripes on the slope. Is that right? You have sketches of what you intend?

Hard to describe. First pic is of a similar slope....lovely, but too hodgepodge. Second is the plumbago we once had by pool. Removed it ( hated to!! ) as too messy in pool. It grows like a weed here and would cover the bank like the ivy. It was actually on the bank with the ivy, but too shady to bloom much. So! If you would be so kind, I'd love ideas of where to put the steps, the small trees, and a better idea for placing the plants. Other than the border of small India Hawthorn,

( is this border a bad idea?) I don't want horizontal lines of plants. If we let the plumbago go , there would be no lines, and nothing to see but it, but we plan to tidy it up a few times a year, unlike before. The jasmine would do the same, though far slower.

Bad pic. Here's better one

It sounds to me like you need to draw a plan to scale and show were you mean to put your plants. I love my Plumbago but I think using it as groundcover would ruin it's beauty. Do you mean to have distinct separate mounds of Plumbago? If you do that then do it in a few groupings and not all in a line. My Plumbago are growing against the fence. Not truly against the fence, I leave room to walk behind them. I like to leave them alone to take a natural shape. I've wanted a white on for the longest time.

Since you like Phlox-like flowers you could use Ceratostigma.

Drawing a plan to scale is not comfortably in my wheelhouse, which is why I was asking for ideas on placement. My rough sketched idea might prove incomprehensible . Yes! No shaped plumbagos, just lightly pruned 2-4 times a year to keep them in check. Now must look up ceratostigma.

Could you provide the rough dimensions of the slope area? Height of slope, and angle?

Approx. 45 angle, 7-8 feet height

More pics( one at time only way?)

Cannot get a Panoramic view :( but here it is in pieces. TIA. :)

One more view

And just for emmarene:

my perfectly to scale , architectural masterpiece. gads! Shrubs look like sequoias! Probably cannot make anything of this. :(

I can visualize the plumbago poofing up along the fence line. Is that your idea for a privacy shrub? As you know from your pool photo, plumbago can use up some real estate. The star jasmine below it? More difficult to imagine. It wants to wrap around things and climb unless it is controlled by trimming. You could plant that along the top of the slope and it would climb the wall. I have trouble visualizing the Japanese maples in the mix, plus the pink Indian hawthorn at the base. Or did you mean white? Those alone can get quite large, depending on the variety you select. Height is missing from the design, as well as variation in form and texture. Can you incorporate a plant with very large leaves to contrast with the small leaves of the plumbago? Perhaps Star jasmine and Indian hawthorn offer more of the same texture, not enough contrast. Is there a tall, spiky plant you like? Or a palm to mix with the plumbago? Maybe some Acanthus mollis? I like your inspiration photo with the stones, but your plant selections, as you noted, don't include enough smaller plants to produce that look. Try to think of layering your plants and selecting at least some contrasting forms. Only a few kinds of plants are needed, and planted in groups, can give the effect you seek. But more contrast is needed between those plants selected.

First, I question the steps and bench (it it's to be a fixture) as these things seem superfluous. If one is going to need steps to access the hill, why wouldn't there need to be sets of stairs in many places? ...Or a walkway at an upper level? The idea of them going up the hill ... but to nowhere in particular will look odd. Things must look like they make sense in order to be accepted as reasonable, and ultimately, as attractive. The bench sitting there now doesn't look the least enticing. It's in a position of looking like it's trying to be a throne. If you want a place to sit and observe the view, place the bench on the level of the grass.

I would use small trees to extend the height of the wall screening. A multi-trunk system, fanning out in front of the wall, will carry a lot more weight (interest) than single trunks. Since there is no ornamentation where the wall changes levels, I'd hide that change with an evergreen "punctuation mark". It doesn't necessarily need to be as skinny as I've shown it. The bordering hedge at the front edge of the slope (which shows up in the picture directly above the picture of the plumbago) seems unattractive to me. Instead of incorporate such an "edge," it would look better if the slope has groundcover (like a jasmine could be) and that it was its own edge for the sake of keeping the overall scheme uncluttered and visually stronger. If you're going to use boulders, they need to be BIG. Average "rocks" will be lost.

Wow! Love your rendering, YV, but wait! I must catch my breath from laughing too hard at : " The bench sitting there now doesn't look the least enticing. It's in a position of looking like it's trying to be a throne. If you want a place to sit and observe the view, place the bench on the level of the grass." Oh my gosh! I knew that was gonna come up. Silly thing is just sitting up there where it landed during the paver construction. LOL at the thought of it being my scenic throne. . Boulders? Area's too small, I fear. How about those rocks in the inspiration pic? Also, would love suggestions for those pretty trees you've painted in! Agree about that line of boxwood in the other pic. So, no border, just a natural flow of hill into lawn? Thank you , Kim. I'll reply in morning. I just had to reply to YV about that bench! Too funny.

Vitex would be pretty for the trees.

Well, what can I say? All manner of odd things that people intend to do show up here! The throne bench looked like possibly one more. :-)

Love the vitex! I have two young ones that I tied up a couple of months ago for training. One almost looks like I'm trying to mummify it!

Dang! I had a long response going until it whooshed away. ##>€+%. The lovely chaste tree ( vitex) will not do as well here so near the coast, emmarene . I don't care about flowers so much, just a nice patio- size tree , some shrubs along the wall , and fence (I do love privets, though many don't) for a bit of privacy ..... and where to place the plumbago and whatever else (broad leafed, yes, Kim...thanks for that reminder!). btw, the wall and rail fence ajoin and are same height. The steps are for functional ease during pruning times. The " road to nowhere"!!' Imperfec solution, but good 'nuff. The India Hawthorne would be a very low variety like Ballerina, and would add continuity as have several other Rhaps. along the back fence. At least that's my thought. ?? We once had a 6' x4' ground cover patch of star jasmine . Nice and tough to withstand playing dogs. Ideas where? The Jap. Maple would add some height to the mid section, I thought. I so appreciate your help and ideas!!!

Off inconspicuously to the side?