You should have placed the bougainvillea in the center. With a little time it will spread to cover the whole wall.

Katie C I live in San Diego. The retaining wall actually runs the whole side of my house so the length is twice the size of what is pictured (other bushes and vines are also planted). That's why I was thinking ornamental grasses?

Grasses are nice for silouette… but lattice columns interspaced between what you have …with vines to climb them will get you better privacy and will last longer than grasses .. most likely

Purple feather grass or deergrass would look nice but since everything is fine textured some course textured succulents would be great. We actually bought a big leaved thornless prickly pear at a San Diego nursery while on vacation and love the interest it adds to the landscape. Agaves and Aloes also would look great year round.

Can you take a pic from further back this looks odd to me . BTW how on earth do you see anything through that fence or over it. I agree the bougainvillea in the center and I have no clue how grasses will help this situation just let what you have grow to maturity and stop looking through the fence .

I’d be heading to a nursery for advice, with a picture and a budget in mind. It’s looking pretty random right now, so important to have a plan, planting in way that flows well.

In regards to grasses, there are so many species; look into what would best suit and where and how to incorporate.

https://www.urbanorganicyield.com/tall-ornamental-grasses-for-privacy/

Aim is not only to alter view, but create something that looks attractive/balanced. Bamboo perhaps could be another option.

Thank you Maureen, addition to obstructing the view, that's what I'm trying to create- balance. We're on a tight budget so I can't rip everything up and start over. I'd like to add a grass or succulent throughout to create a sense of pattern? Going back to what Patricia Colwell Consulting was saying, this is a older fence and when you get closer to the 3ft tall retaining wall, you can definitely see next door. Saying "stop looking thru the fence" is not a helpful solution as even guests have commented on it (again, the back yard is a junk yard with overgrown weeds, trash etc).

Not sure how well an ornamental grape vine or ivy would grow in your area. You can put a lattice in front of the fence and let it start climbing on that. You just feed it in the directions you want it to grow. The grape vine grows pretty fast. Either would give you a pretty green backdrop to the colorful flowers.

You could also consider getting your own fence panels and set them off set of that fence to block the openings.

Is it your fence or theirs? What about hanging smaller plants or containers off the fence?

I hope you can come up with something.

I would avoid bamboo…it overtakes everything over time and it impossible to remove and dangerously sharp when thinned..clumping or non- clumping…same issues…

These are pricey and dont grow very high but think they might do great in SD

Unless you love working in that area I would start thinking evergreen…things that drop flowers..leaves..branches..etc. will need lots of clean-up and can even potentially stain the concrete….trying to use different color evergreens can add a pretty variety…but also keep to choices that will only grow tall enough to do the job you are asking for…i have seen people regret having planted the tall narrow junipers for instance….and anything that gets tall will have expanding root systems that can even damage the wall…all of these are long term considerations..so if you want to go the economical route….use things you can remove or transplant later when you have more $ to work with…also be sure to ask if the leaves are safe for the doggies…they can occasionally decide to munch on them

Until everything grows big enough to block maybe add some reed fencing to the wood one for blocking the view more.

https://www.amazon.com/Reed-Fence/s?k=Reed+Fence