Riding 4 Life: Forgive my short answer. You had so many broad-stroke needs, I thought it best to suggest a book, the best book, on the subject so that yo can have a proper starting point. (By the way, the Sunset Western Garden Book would tell you that lemon grass is not hardy in Zone 14.) Here's a semi-short list of proven plants for Zone 14. These will take your blinding sun, your hot summers and your cold winters. Medium to Large Trees -- Cedrus deodara DEODAR CEDAR Cedrus libanii atlantica ATLAS CEDAR Gleditsia triacanthos inermis THORNLESS HONEY LOCUST Pinus brutia/eldarica AFGHAN PINES Pinus pinea ITALIAN STONE PINE Platanus x acerifolia LONDON PLANE TREE Zelkova serrata SAW-LEAF ZELKOVA Small to Medium Trees -- Aesculus x carnea RED HORSECHESTNUT Brahea armata MEXICAN BLUE HESPER PALM Butia capitata BLUE PINDO PALM Cercidium floridum BLUE PALO VERDE Cercis siliquastrum JUDAS TREE x Chitalpa tashkentensis CHILTALPA Eucalyptus polyanthemos SILVER DOLLAR GUM Juniperus scopulorum Tolleson's Blue Weeping BLUE WEEPING JUNIPER Koelreuteria elegans FLAMEGOLD Koelreuteria paniculata GOLDENRAIN TREE Lagerstroemia (standard) CRAPE MYRTLES Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Olea europaea OLIVE Parkinsonia aculeata MEXICAN PALO VERDE Pistacia chinensis CHINESE PISTACHE Sophora japonica Regent JAPANESE PAGODA TREE Trachycarpus fortunei WINDMILL PALM Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Trees to create fast shade -- Acer truncatum SHANTUNG MAPLE Gleditsia triacanthos inermis (esp. Shademaster, Skyline) HONEY LOCUST Melia azedarach CHINA BERRY Populus fremontii FREMONT COTTONWOOD Pyrus calleryana (esp. Aristocrat, Bradford, Holmford, Trinity) CALLERY PEAR Ulmus parvifolia CHINESE ELM Zelkova serrata SAWLEAF ZELKOVA Large Shrubs -- Acca (Feijoa) sellowiana PINEAPPLE GUAVA Caesalpinia pulcherrima BARBADOS PRIDE, RED BIRD-OF-PARADISE Callistemon citrinus LEMON BOTTLEBRUSH Dodonaea viscosa PURPLE HOPBUSH Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsonii WILSON HOLLY Juniperus (many) JUNIPERS Punica granatum Legrellei, Nochi Shibori, Tanyosho ORNAMENTAL POMEGRANATES Rhaphiolepis Majestic Beauty M. B. INDIAN HAWTHORNE Vitex agnus-castus CHASTE TREE Small to Medium Shrubs -- Abelia x grandiflora ABELIA Leucophyllum frutescens TEXAS RANGER Myrtus communis ROMAN MYRTLE Nandina domestica HEAVENLY BAMBOO Nerium oleander "Petite" series OLEANDER Rosmarinus officinalis ROSEMARY Senna (Cassia) artemisioides FEATHERY CASSIA Senna wislizenii SHRUBBY SENNA Teucrium fruticans BUSH GERMANDER Twining Vines -- Akebia quinata FIVELEAF AKEBIA Gelsemium sempervirens CAROLINA JESSAMINE Muehlenbeckia complexa MATTRESS VINE, WIRE VINE Solanum jasminoides WHITE POTATO VINE Wisteria (many kinds) WISTERIA Tendril Vines -- Vitis californica Rogers Red, Walker Ridge RED-LEAF CALIFORNIA GRAPE Vitis coignetiae CRIMSON GLORY VINE Vitis vinifera Purpurea PURPLE-LEAF GRAPE Tendril-Clinging Vines -- * for wrapping onto small-mesh fencing or for "clinging" onto any very rough surface Bignonia capreolata CROSSVINE Campsis x tagliabuana* TRUMPET CREEPER Macfadyena unguis-cati* CATS-CLAW Disk-Clinging Vines -- Parthenocissus henryana SILVERVEIN CREEPER Parthenocissus quinquefolia VIRGINIA CREEPER Parthenocissus tricuspidata BOSTON IVY Clambering/Scrambling Vines -- Rosa banksiae LADY BANKS ROSE Rosa Cecile Brunner SWEETHEART ROSE Rosa x Mermaid MERMAID ROSE Rosa Absolutely, Jeanne Lajoie, Nozomi Red Cascade, Work of Art MINIATURE CLIMBING ROSES Ground Covers -- Baccharis pilularis Twin Peaks TRAILING COYOTE BRUSH Gazania rigens leucolaena GAZANIA Juniperus horizontalis Wiltonii BLUE CARPET JUNIPER Rosmarinus officinalis (trailing types) CREEPING ROSEMARY Trachelospermum asiaticum ASIATIC JESSAMINE Vinca minor SMALL PERIWINKLE Perennials Achillea Moonshine MOONSHINE YARROW Achillea fillipendulina WOOLY YARROW Achillea hybrids HYBRID YARROWS Agastache aurantiaca ORANGE HYSSOP-MINT Agastache hybrids (many) HYBRID HYSSOP-MINTS Agastache rupestris SUNSET HYSSOP Agave parryi PARRYS CENTURY PLANT Agave shawii SHAWS CENTURY PLANT Artemisia Powis Castle WORMWOOD Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dasylirion wheeleri DESERT SPOON Dietes FORTNIGHT LILY Euphorbia characias wulfenii CHARTREUSE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia myrsinites BLUE EUPHORBIA Euphorbia rigida MEDITERRANEAN EUPHORBIA Euphorbia x martinii RED EUPHORBIA Helianthemum nummularium SUN ROSE Helictotrichon sempervirens BLUE OAT GRASS Hemerocallis DAYLILIES Hesperaloe parviflora RED YUCCA Muhlenbergia dumosa BAMBOO MUHLY Nepeta Six Hills Giant GIANT CATMINT Nepeta racemosa Walkers Low CATMINT Nepeta x faassenii CATMINT Opuntia violacea santa-rita BLUE-BLADE Penstemon eatonii FIRECRACKER PENSTEMON Penstemon palmeri PALMER BEARDTONGUE Penstemon pseudospectabilis DESERT BEARDTONGUE Phlomis russeliana HARDY JERUSALEM-SAGE Phygelius hybrids CAPE FUCHSIA Pyrethropsis hosmariense MT. ATLAS DAISY Ruellia brittoniana MEXICAN BLUEBELL, DESERT PETUNIA Salvia chamaedryoides GERMANDER SAGE Stachys albotomentosa HIDALGO Verbena rigida SANDPAPER VERBENA Verbena tenuisecta MOSS VERBENA As for barrier (thorny) plants: Agave parryi, shawii SMALLER AGAVES Berberis buxifolia MAGELLAN BARBERRY Berberis darwinii DARWIN BARBERRY Berberis julianae WINTERGREEN BARBERRY Berberis nevinii NEVIN'S BARBERRY Chaenomeles (tall types) FLOWERING QUINCE Ilex x altaclarensis Wilsoni WILSONS HOLLY Opuntia ficus-indica PRICKLY PEAR Pyracantha (many) FIRETHORN Ribes speciosa FUCHSIA-FLOWERING GOOSEBERRY Rosa laevigata CHEROKEE ROSE Rose "Simplicity" Series SIMPLICITY ROSE Rose Pearl Sevillana (shrub; semi-double pearly white/cream) Rosa californica Elsie (native; single magenta-pink) Rose Wildberry Breeze (hybrid rugosa; mauve blend) Rose Wild Spice (rugosa hybrid; single white/blush) Ziziphus jujuba JUJUBE, CHINESE DATE Joe

Great list of questions! Thanks for the general framework to think through my decisions here - super helpful. We have a very small backyard in which I am constantly tinkering - the back fence is a pretty prominent feature because of the size of the yard - and right now it's still dry dusty dirt mostly except for the two veggie beds, and the giant orange tree. So, to answer your questions: -I am very "into" gardening (borderline obsessed maybe?) though new to it, happy to trim a couple times a month; - I don't need flowers all the time - seasonal flowers I think are appreciated differently/more in fact, but either is fine; - flower debris is fine (I would probably just let it fall into the beds and become mulch around the other future-plants if possible? Also happy to sweep them - orange tree drops loads of debris it turns out); - our yard backs up to a concrete garage pad and concrete walkways at the backs of the other properties, so I don't think it could creep anywhere really - as long as it doesn't shoot vines 20 feet underground; - I am concerned about invasive plants generally and invested in native plants in our front yard - so don't want to plant anything that will get eaten by birds and dropped into Griffith Park (Pampas grass, tree of heaven, ice plant for instance are all terrible) - I am also somewhat impatient - less so in my front yard where I've planted for the long-term and happy to wait - backyard is like an extension of our living room.... in the pic you can see the fence and the orange tree and patio relationship - I also need to be mindful of orange tree roots too... you can just barely see the dichondra, salvia and penstemons I just bought and am trying to place in front of the fence....oh and the lovely view of the neighbor's garage...;)

Big leaves on a big vine that is a "glory" of color in the fall. Size is part of the point, the largeness of the plant and leaves producing a spectacle. A full-sized western redcedar (Thuja plicata) is about the right size to host one (and makes a complementary backdrop). Used to be on the old lathhouses at the Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, and I think growing up a tree (probably Thuja plicata!) out in the main collections - don't know if this last is still present, a bunch of great old climbers (vines) were ripped out under the apparently wrongheaded "care" of previous workers there. David C. Lam Asian Garden, UBC, Vancouver is another place to see it going up a tree.

I missed the fact that it was my turn, possibly because I've been working on my glögg recipe for several days, trying to duplicate the one I remember from my Swedish grandmother's house at Christmas. There are so many completely different recipes that it's taking quite a toll on us to try them all. Burgundy or sherry? Port or brandy? Whiskey or vodka? I'd like to have it right by Christmas, but that means starting the testing earlier and earlier each day. What space do we have left? I'm wondering if we can try hardy kiwi in this locale; although they are hardy to -25, the buds can be blasted by late cold snaps. They might succeed with some shade to the east, which would potentially delay the formation of buds. They could be grown along the fence, with the grapes, but I'll defer to northern gardeners who know if this is unrealistic. Alternatively, if our virtual homeowners are really into fruit, they should probably have some "real" strawberries. They could be grown in a long narrow bed inside the fence (we still have a fence, even though George has banished the deer, don't we? Or, maybe we have enough fruit for this garden. Do we also need to talk about the materials we're going to use, like paving and mulch, and about how this area will relate to the rest of the yard? Is it going to evoke an old New England farm yard and orchard, or be a more formal space? Will we include flowers and grasses, or will it be strictly devoted to fruit? Can we have a table and some chairs out here, where we (um, I mean they) can sit and enjoy this garden?