nhBabs I think you got it!! the leaf and colors are super close! thank you very much for your reply linaria - this is Los angeles and thank you!

no 'evergreen' holds it leaves forever ... its just their normal cycle .. and i wouldnt worry too much about that little bit of yellowing ... w/o a scale.. it is hard to say.. but that looks like a good 6 to 8 inches.. of prime growth ... perhaps they would get taller.. if you quit cutting them back??? ... lol.. not helpful.. lol ... i dont know the ID .... but man they sure look like rhodie ... BTW.. where are you ... ken ps: you win todays award for the most uses of 'hedges' in one paragraph .. lol ..

As long as the back slope will not be shaded by other trees, then it's a perfect place to plant citrus and avocados on the same drip system. Their water requirements are similar, with avos being a little higher, but considering the cost of an avocado these days, even here ($1.89 each!!), the watering bill might be worth it. Also pretty on the hillside if you're considering things that produce would be pomagrantes. They have very pretty reddish orange flowers, and low maintenance, almost completely pest free, and provide delicious fruit in the fall. Excluding their lovely fruit, there are a very attractive landscaping plants in their own right. You can then add in some other lower water requirement plants such as lavendar, Santolina, rosemary, Mimulus all great pollinator attractors. If you're planning on having a veggie garden on the left side, the planned hedge is going to block a lot of your sun as they'll cast a shadow on the area to the north of the hedge. Not so great for a veggie garden. You can make a veggie garden attractive by planting flowers (annuals or perennials) along that south edge of the raised planter instead of a hedge. You'll have something to detract a bit from any veggies that might get a wee bit scraggly, and also provide some attraction for your pollinators, again, so you have a good harvest. Consider maybe an attractive fence with some nice posts and finials perhaps? to give that veggie garden its own presence and create some garden art. I attached a nice link from Sunset magazine that has some good planting suggestions for slopes and other parts of your yard that are water-wise. Pretty choices of grasses to consider, if you decide to go a different way from citrus. Btw, I love your hardscaping! Especially how your landscape designer encorporated your decks in the back and especially the front. Exceptional use of deck and hardscaping! Can't wait to see photos of the work in progress, how exciting!! Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Sunset Magazine: Water-Wise Gardening

Abelia.