Starting a landscape from scratch, have a lagoon style pool being put in, rock waterfall, etc. Have a few specific places where I need to figure out some plants, and I don't speak landscape (yet). We are in Novato, CA and and get some wind, so need to know which plants would be best. Since we have a pool, we hope to keep it evergreen. First glaring area of need will be some privacy screening. We had the red leafed photenia at the old house, but flowers attracted the bees a a bit more than we cared and a bit messy.

So we have a long seating wall / retaining wall, about two feet high and are going to use Lava Rock for groundcover, so I'm thinking some bamboo here but need to know best species (neighbor who we're trying to is two story high house) and how to plant so it won't dominate the yard.

Then look for a different kind of screening down the fence to block street noise and the other two houses.

Outside of that, the wife loves the giant birds of paradise (although we never got ours to flower at the old house)Do these grow tall enough to be used as a screen?

I am originally from the tropics so want the tropical type plants, not necessarily feel where it would be jungle like.

We have two small planters built into the pool's coping, birds of paradise would look good here, but don't want the tall ones to block the pools view, etc.

I'm a newbie so speak english please!! this forum (pool and spa) pretty much designed all the pool and hardscape, now i hope this one can bring us over the goal line!!

many thanks