Hi- We have a small backyard and a camellia "tree" in the back corner that provides privacy and a sense of enclosure (we have two-story neighbors directly behind us to each side, with fencing all around). I've determined it probably has some kind of dieback / root rot and will need to be removed, so I'm thinking about possible replacements. Given our location, yard and needs, the specs on what might work are pretty limiting - so turning to this group for some creative ideas. Here's what we need: - Overall objective is privacy, so needs to grow to ~8-10 feet, but can be maintained at max 12 ft height without too much difficulty, as there are overhead power lines. The camellia we had seemed to naturally top out right around 10 ft. - Would like a perennial so that we have privacy year-round - Space isn't huge, so ideally would be something that can be shaped to be narrower at the bottom and branch out at the top (the camellia had been trained into a sort of canopy that was perfect) - Would like to avoid a conifer - wouldn't fit particularly well with the other plants in our yard (FYI: pink jasmine, lavendar, cistus, coleonema, tibouchina, the ubiquitous and invasive calla lilies). So something with evergreen foliage would be better. - Fast-growing - Soil is quite sandy and drains well, but this is still a reasonably damp part of the yard, so we need to avoid something that is really susceptible to rot / can't take regular watering (which the neighboring plants require) - Ideally produces flowers / has some color - We're in San Francisco, which I've seen described as USDA Zone 8 or 10 online, and Sunset Zone 17. But it never freezes, never gets above 85 degrees, days often start and end overcast but are blue sky from 10am-4pm, and we have a chilly fog that blows through our backyard every night during the summer months. Recently very limited rainfall (~15-16"/year). Tree/shrub would be in borderline full sun / partial sun. I'd appreciate any suggestions that you have! Thanks in advance Becky

"The large deck ... is structurally sound, the boards are not in good shape." What exactly does "not in good shape" mean? ... that the surface is not good but otherwise they are OK ...? That sounds like a couple of decks that came with a house I once owned. They were functional but ugly from years of weathering and no attention whatsoever. They were transformed into completely acceptable, nice actually, merely with pressure washing, a quick, coarse sanding, and two or three coats of deck paint (not stain) applied with a paint roller. It was not a huge, horrible job and they looked almost as good as new. They were much easier to keep clean with a hard paint surface. The cost to fix it this way, if DIY, would be a couple hundred bucks. If not DIY, a few hundred ... vs. $17K. If you could get another dozen years our of your deck and have it look nice, too, would that be acceptable? Landscaping is a discipline where one must not ignore site conditions or impose unrealistic solutions if they expect to produce a result that is pleasant, lasting and maintainable. I question the overall direction of making a small porch with steps down to where all the landscape features would be. This seems intrinsically less useful than would be having a decent sized deck immediately off of the main living space. I see a grill but not a dining table. Where does the outdoor dining happen? If the kitchen is separated from outdoor dining by a full flight of steps, it will surely be made much more inconvenient. But the real deal-breaker for me is the imposition of "no groundcover," which is driven by unrealistic beliefs based on emotion, when the site itself is demanding groundcover for practical reasons: there is slope and there is shade. Are we really going to spend $50K in order to change this into flat, sunny ground? It's going to require significant retaining walls & grading in addition to all the other new hardscape and planting. On the subject of husband's allergies to pine, I presume you're talking about allergies to pine pollen (since contact with the plant itself can be easily avoided)? Getting rid of the pines is going to make virtually no difference if there are other pines in the neighborhood or region. During the pollen season, which lasts for a couple of weeks, it can blow statewide and there's no escaping it. One's best hope of avoiding it is to stay indoors as much as possible during that time. I think you should begin with the budget because it will determine what is possible vs. what is fantasy. Re-contemplate the goals ... not how to achieve them, but simply the objectives themselves ... what activities do we want to do outside? How convenient do we want them to be? How private should it be? ... etc.

Wow!! that looks amazing! Thank you. I just needed help with shade plants.. or a tree to go in the corner. I love all the flowers and bushes in the corner you did up!!

I like it! I've also always liked the look of natural wood fence, but when I had a tall long fence installed a couple years ago we went with a dark brown color and I've been pleasantly surprised how it seems to recede into the background more and disappear. It makes the space feel larger also. I think you will like it :)