I want to thank everyone who took the time to post such detailed and wonderful advice here! My renovation is finally done and I am getting ready to plant. At last! I have been closely reviewing all the suggestions and advice and have come up with what I hope is a good plan. I had 6" of sand removed, added an equal amount of compost and have irrigation going in as soon as I finalize my planting scheme. I have been using Pinterest to gather images of all the plants you recommended and narrow down selections. The San Marcos Growers site as well as some of the other links posted have been invaluable as a resource for what is available in my area and in helping select appropriate plants. I am attaching my plan. The house faces the ocean but there is a parking lot & a lot of tourist foot traffic in between so we put up a 4' wall with another 2' of semi-open wood fence on top. Also, just to the south west of the house is a large lifeguard station / maintenance area that isn't pretty to look at so the tree is placed to soften the view of that. Finally, the sides of the house remain sand in this plan. On the north side, there is only 16" to our property line and on the south side, the same plus another 3' that belongs to our neighbor. That area is needed for access and I'm not sure what else to do with it. I am imagining gravel would just get mixed in and covered with sand soon anyway? I guess we could pour concrete?) I am also including a link to my Pinterest page with the plant selection. There are a couple extras as I can't quite decide which Leucadendron & which Protea I prefer. I would love to hear any thoughts or comments before I start buying plants! Thanks again!

Thanks, jkom! My husband has really worked hard on this bougainvillea, so that it arches over our gate. It's doing this on it's own. There is no structural support, so we hope we can continue to allow it to arch like this. It is so pretty. Our really tall friends need to duck a wee bit, but it's worth it I think :-) It is probably 'San Diego Red' or 'Barbara Karst'. It is a deep magenta pink/red. Here are some pics of our other very large bougainvillea in the back of the side yard, that cascades down to the lower yard level (you can see the Cantua buxifolia and Phlomis behind the fountain, as well as some pale yellow nasturtiums). It is most likely 'James Walker' as it is a combination of pink and orange, sort of hard to tell in my photos: And I noticed on the way down to the lower yard, my lovely Scabiosa 'Fama Deep Blue' is now in bloom: My 'Sweet Crisp' blueberries are going to really perform this year, too. I'm anxious to try this new to me variety. These are as big as marbles right now: And here's a peek at the Walk & Pick orchard walk. I had noticed all the owl poop on the walk the other day, below the gate arbor. Well, met that owl face to face last night, as he swooped down the walk right in front of me. I about had a heart attack. He was completely silent, and pretty sure it was our Great Horned Owl, since he wasn't white (that I remember, I was sort of screaming at the time): Golden Dorsett apple set: Apples and some stone fruit (apricots, apriums): The other side of the walk with pluots, plumcots, necaplums, necatrines, apricots, peaches (yup, that's Morning Glory on the fence. It is ONLY there because my husband is in love with the blue flowers, which cover the fence in a couple of months. Plus, there is passaflora on the fence, too, so I'm at both with a machete all year to keep it out of the fruit trees. At least I have a yard full of pollinators from it): And a shot from the bottom, standing in front of the greenhouse looking upward to the arbor gate: And lastly, my welcome sign in Scottish Gaelic. Translation: Hundred Thousand Welcomes (and a sad shot of the abandoned Valencia orange orchard): Thanks for letting me share my little piece of heaven in N. San Diego county. I am always in awe of everyone else's garden, so you kind words really mean a lot to me :-) Patty S.

In the ground, Twinberry and orange honeysuckle, when in bloom are top notch attractors, along with Lucifer Crocosmia and Jacob Cline Bee Balm. I have what is labeled as Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle in a 5 gallon pot, it is very popular, along with Chilean Glory Vine, also in a large pot. They have both overwintered in pots the past 4 years. I have grown cuphea the past 6 years or so, Cuphea ignea does not overwinter for me but seems to get the most use. I grow it with the cuter Bat faced and Tiny Mice type cupheas in baskets.

Lots of bromeliads in bloom at the moment; Aechmea gamosepala and A. g. 'Adolph's White', A. kertesziae, A. cylindrata, A. fasciata, A. 'Pioneer', A. 'Covata',A. caudata, A. distichantha, A. recurvata v. benrathii, A. r. 'Orange', Billbergia nutans, B. x windii, B. 'Bill', Portea petropoliteana v. extensa is still in berry, Deppea splendens, Fuchsia boliviana, Tibouchina heteromalla, T. urvilleana, T. organensis, Nerine bowdenii, Impatiens soddenii, I. 'Central Coast Rose', Mandevilla splendens, Aloe buhrii, A. arborescens, A. thraskii, A. striata, A. spinossissima, Anigozanthus flavidus 'Harmony', Bougainvillea, Magnolia stellata, M. denudata, M. soulangeana, Veltheimia bracteata, Echeveria imbricata and E. pulv-oliver, Senecio mandraliscae, Cotyledon orbiculata and C. macrantha, Erythrina x bidwillii, Tecoma x smithii, Tecomaria capensis, Pittosporum undulatum, Protea 'Pink Ice', Leucospermum cordifolium and Leucodendron 'Safari Sunset', Crowea exalata, Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' and P. comosus, P. zuluensis, Calandrinia grandiflora, Cestrum aurantiacum, Heliconia scheideana and H. latispatha, Gordonia axillaris, Justicia carnea and J. aurea, Kalanchoe tubiflora, Edgeworthia chrysantha, Greyia sutherlandii, Grevillea 'Superb' and G. 'Robyn Gordon', Phaedranthus buccinatorius, Distictis 'Rivers', Thunbergia grandiflora and T. alata, Hardenbergia violacea, Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi', Ruella macrantha, Cymbidium orchids, Camellia sasanqua, Eucalyptus ficifolia, Cyclamen, Senecio tamoides, Delostoma rosea, are some of the things that are still going strong in the garden. The first heavy fall/winter rains have already finished off the Tree Dahlias and Tree Daisies/Montanoa grandiflora. The first of the native blooming Ribes sanguineum, Ceanothus, Arctostaphylos, Calif. Poppies, are also starting to bloom here locally.