Plant flowering vines between the "cones". That is something that would work with the clipped shrubs. See plant selection section near front of Sunset WESTERN GARDEN BOOK for ideas of specific kinds. Horizontal wires can be run on hooks in the wall to hold them up or if you don't want to do that put frames (trellises) in front of the wall for them to climb on or be tied to.

The suggestion of using vines is as useful as any. In your region, you can easily use something that would be colorful most of the year. I'd suggest choosing from Bougainvillea, Hardenbergia violacea, Bignonia capreolata, Distictis buccinatorius, D. 'Rivers', Beaumontia grandiflora, Pyrostegia venusta, Tecomaria capensis, Passiflora, Senecio tamoides, Solanum, etc. Flowering shrugs such as Tibouchina urvilleana, Tagetes lemmonii, Dahlia imperialis, Montanoa grandiflora, Cassua bicapsularis, Cestrums or Iochromas, could also work well against this wall.

You could also mirror the palms beyond by planting similar forms but of lower or slower growing palm species such as Brahea armata, Brahea 'Clara', Butia capitata, Chamaerops humilis cerifera, Argenga engleri, Phoenix roebellenii, Chamaedorea plumosa, etc.

Tall flowering perennials such as Heliconia scheideana, Justicia aurea, Canna ehemannii, Musella lasiocarpa, Cyperus papyriferus, Colocasia esculenta 'Fontanesii' could also be planted to give a tropicalesque touch to the palms beyond.

I like the idea of using other architectural plants to "bring the palms" into the garden. Solves the problem of the stark contrast between the view above the top of the wall and below it. (Same device as using a potted fatsia or bamboo inside a glass entryway and outside it, to reduce the separation between inside and out). With palms or other, similar architectural plants inside the garden the impression of the palms would be reinforced instead of obscured, it wouldn't matter of some of the bold foliage plants inside the garden group up into the visual space of the palms.

...it wouldn't matter if some of the bold foliage plants inside the garden grew up...

Put on the Hotel California CD, have a drink and a smoke and see what your imagination can come up with. It certainly will not be any worse than posting a nocturnal picture and asking for help from people from all over the place.

Think globally, act locally. Call in some local people to talk to you, understand you, and meld that together with your site using their knowledge developed there. The owner of a 500'long wall ought to have the resources to do that.

Prediction: This will be a long thread.

Is there something special one might smoke in southern California?

If I was playing Hotel California -

You can check out anytime you like
But you can never leave

- I'd want to build a ladder over that wall afterward.

No, seriously, this could be one of the completed segments of the border fence.

In that case, razor wire instead of a ladder. With bougainvillea on top.

This wall looks to me like it is in one of those brand spanking new subdivisions created out of old orange groves somewhere in Riverside County, which is no where near the actual border, but certainly is influenced by what is happening at the border. The cost of land is so much cheaper there than along the coast, that large lots and humongous houses are the rule, not the exception. One of the spin offs is that mature plantings of palms and trees are often part of the newly suburban landscape.

Does it strike some kind of nerve to show archetypical California landscape shots at the beginning of winter and ask for advice? Are you saying that this is rude and should have been posted on the California forum site instead? I must say, I wouldn't mind having this view over my backyard fence, even though it does look as though those super tall Mexican Fan Palms may be close to the end of their life span, and might not still be there 10 years from now...

Was looking at the Nov/Dec issue of Fine Gardening and the article on "Designing with Form and Texture". Although the plants in the article as well as those mentioned above by Bahia are alien to me - and would live about a week in my climate - the agaves, aloes, different palms etc. would be dramatic against a wall backdrop. Even a massive amount of planting would have to go some to obscure any view of the palms.

If your hedging plants were never intended to be tortured into cones; let them grow out and see what they can become.

Definitely Beaumontia grandiflora on the wall, framing your view with some Butia capitata, Festuca glauca around the base of the Butia palms, a few Brahea decumbens grouped here and there, maybe some big blue agaves in there also, if you're feeling bold.

Kim,
It sounds like you are still channeling the Blue Garden at Lotus Land! Hard to beat these classic combinations, but if you haven't tried it, throw Cotyledon orbiculata var. longifolia into the mix with the Festuca glauca, these two plants are made for each other as they grow together. I wish I could get my 40 foot tall Beaumontia grandiflora to actually bloom locally, I think I forced the issue in planting this along a three story east facing wall rather than a south or west facing wall, it just refuses to bloom, even though it is plenty big enough. I could also see a grove of various sized Yucca rostrata against this wall as an added sculptural element, or Cussonia paniculata, or Bismarckia nobilis, no?

David,
I'd go with the Bismarckia nobilis, it would love the heat, and is more user-friendly than the Yucca. Channeling the Blue Garden, who me? ; ) I guess I am just one of IB's color sluts after all (not that he ever used that term...). It's true, never an original idea from me; you, on the other hand, always have something new to add to the mix. Love the Cotyledon orbiculata var. longifolia, it's perfect. Ok, I'll try, a couple more from me, just picked these up Saturday at Rancho Soledad Nursery's sale: Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' and Echeveria subrigida, fantastic color, check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Echeveria subrigida

Thanks for all the suggestions, it helps to see what other people think--I like the bouganvillea idea. The tibouchina would not thrive there. i have four specimens in the front side of the house. three are in partial shade and they do well, the other is in full sun and it has not bloomed or grown much. Also, seeing how we get ocassional frost, the tibouchina would melt to the stump every winter. i had already thought of the bismarckia nobilis and i have six seedlings that i've grown from seeds. of couse it will take a couple of years before they are of notable size, but we have to start somewhere.

laag- i have already met with local people and have gotten ideas from other gardens nearby. posting here is another resource available. There are a lot of people here who have more knowledge than me and who can share their ideas of what would look best so i am glad to consider their suggestions.

jd

About the Beaumontia grandiflora-- this is growing all over the Los Angeles Arboretum, even on walls and pergolas partly shaded by Jacarandas and Tabebuia impetignosa, but the best blooms are found on the south-facing walls, no doubt about it. Hard to believe yours at forty feet hasn't bloomed at all, maybe train it around the corner to the south? ; )

Hard to believe that Bismarckia is more tolerant of inland empire conditions than Tibouchina urvilleana, it is just the opposite here in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Tibs are a dime a dozen, and Bismarckia is very rare, still.

Kim,
I wouldn't be so quick to downplay your garden design talents, I really do enjoy the photos of your compositions when you post them. No complaints from my end about channeling anything from Lotus Land, it is just such a fantastic garden. I would love to get back down there and see the new cactus garden.

About those succulents, I am surprised that you didn't already have at least the Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' in your garden, as this cultivar is such a good one for coastal gardens. I have been using this one for years, myself, as I love the variations in color seasonally, as well as how easy it is to grow. The one complaint I would have with it is the fragility of the leaves, it just doesn't take being bumped without shattering. When I use it in gardens, it can become a massive clumping thing almost 2 foot tall by 3 foot across, and combines beautifully with bromeliads.

The Echeveria subrigida is also one of my current favorites for both the foliage, size of plant and the multiple long bloom stalks over at least 8 months up here. I see that this species has been discovered by various nurseries over the past couple of years, as it is finally being grown in mass quantities both here and down south. No doubt it has to do with how easy this species is from seed, and how quickly it reaches good size, and the long bloom period. I first started using this about 4 years ago now, from the first crop that Annie's Annuals was growing from seed received from the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden. I was working at Annie's at the time, and took home a large batch of seedlings that were going to be thrown out after potting up into 4 inch pots. I quickly realized that this was an Echeveria on steroids, and could be highly useful for long lasting colorful blooms as well as foliage. Interesting that neither Annie's nor UCBBG has this properly identified as E. subrigida, but it is a great plant for coastal conditions, if you can keep the snails away. It does have the annoying habit of attracting aphids to the blooms and bloom stalks, but I forgive this weakness for so much vigor and beauty. I have seen this well grown in a container and pumped up with time release fertilizer, and become almost 2 foot across in diameter, incredible!

For the others, sorry if this seems a high jack of this thread, but both Kim and I did also address the topic in question, no?