I think a good place to start is to decide what you do like about the yard, keep that, and maybe build something cohesive around it. But I can't quite see from the pictures--does your yard continue to the right past the lemon tree? Is that where the bougainvillea is?

It seems like the yard can't make up its mind if it's a succulent garden or an English cottage garden. If you like the desert look, keep the yucca and the century plants, clear out the low-growing stuff and look into, say, sedums and aeoniums and agaves and the like. One plus to this look--low water use.

But you don't like the yucca, so it sounds like you'd be better off removing that and the century plants, and then maybe you could build a more Mediterranean garden around the citrus, which would still keep your water use within bounds. The bougainvillea could still fit in this scheme. And if you have to rip out the chainlink, but you install a nicer fence, there's a good chance the bougainvillea will rebound quickly.

I may not be the person to ask because I like the informal, crowded mix look. Maybe some tough, drought resistant bulbs like watsonia or crocosmia up front. Some CA sages could be nice too. I'd probably go ahead and take out the chain link and hack the bougainvillea, mine has gome back from similar abuse.

BTW, you can re-size images by placing the url inside this code; img src="image url" width="600", using the less than and greater than symbols at each end.

Looking at the pictures I can feel myself leaning towards removing the yucca and century plant. I am thinking I need some midlevel shrubs toward the center, with perhaps a tallish plant to replace the privacy the yucca gives us (thinking angel's trumpet--we had a very large one but it was hit hard by frost 2 years ago and it never grew back as nicely).

The bouganvilla in visible on the chain link fence in the first photo of my original post, spreading beneath the orange tree. It is a lovely white boug, but it does not bloom as heavily as most I see near us, probably because it gets some shade.
This is a picture of the back side of the bouganvilla and orange tree. So it is facing southwest, mostly west. I enjoy this section of the yard, and would be happy to extend the same feel to the other section, with a bit more color thrown in though.

The bouganvilla is to the right of the lemon tree in the first picture of my original post. It is covering the chain link fence beneath the orange tree. It is white, but does not bloom as vigorously as many bouganvillas near us probably due to receiving quite a bit of shade from our neighbors very large hedge.

Here is a picture of the other side of the orange tree with the bouganvilla in the background.

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I am pretty happy with this section of the yard, and had hoped to continue this *look* into the other side (so the last photo from my original post shows the yard to the right of the picture here), but with more color. I do like a full garden look, have always had a soft spot for cottage gardens, but I seem to have problems grouping plants and providing interesting height variations. Also, it seems more difficult to work with a section of the yard that is viewed from all sides. Debating over the best way to handle all that bare soil that used to be hidden by the chain link fence.

I have planted a few sages in our back yard, in a raised bed. I am thinking they probably would do better in the front. They tend to get leggy and out of control in the back yard, possibly due to overly rich soil?
Thanks for the posts. Reading other people's impressions helps me pose questions and sort through my ideas. I appreciate it. =)

Pardon my double posting. I did not see my original post, then re-wrote out a new one. But now I see them both. I think I must not have reloaded GW correctly or something.

Your gardens look gorgeous and well maintained in fact I'm jealous of the dark green an great oranges I'ld like your secret. We have lots of the same varieties since I live here in PQ. In front I put Plumbego which I never expected to grow so fast and huge which works well on the steep hill we are below. The thing is that a short mini variety has come into play and the blue flowers are so nice and it needs nothing ever. You keep your Yuccas so clean without all the dead branches. So I say good for you and all your work. On my front where you need something is yellow and purple trailing Verbena which I can control really well so it doesn't take over the sidewalk.

I love your yard..similar to mine ! Last month I did have my lemon and avacado thinned out which helped a lot. Maybe you just need a little trim here and there...it looks great.
Good luck...Sunnie

What a lush yard. It is beautiful. Everybody needs a little change from time to time. Put down some mulch, maybe some edging and a little pruning and you are done. I understand the impulse to do a lot of planting in spring though, and Vista is the nursery capital of the universe (my universe anyway). If you can't resist getting some new things, get them, put them in containers until you figure out where they need to go. Or transplant into containers some of the things in your yard that you are not sure about. You can always put them back again. Otherwise, cruise the area for inspiration. Your yard looks great,even if you don't do another thing.

I am Inland a bit more... Just north of Temecula.
I have a new bed that is just growing in and I am loving the look of (after much moving and trial and error) I kind of go for the Medt. look. The colors are prim. Deep Orange, Kumquat, Deep Purple and Blue. The plants I have in it are Cape Plumbago (for a hedge) Potato Bush "Royal Robe" Blue Hibiscus, Orange and Kumquat Day Lillies, Agapanthus, a Deep Purple Clematis with Yellow Centers climbing an arbor (The Blue Hibiscus and Potato Bush are the same colors as the Clematis but dif sizes)I also have a Mandarine and a Pomegranate. It is a sunny bed and all seem to be thriving with mod-low water once established, although I had to be creative to shade the Clematis roots)

I think it is kind of a lush Medt. look.

I think your landscaping looks beatiful, but agree that a Medt. look would be a good direction for you and would also remove the Yucca and Cent. Plant. Adding some darker purples and maybe some kumquat colors will make the area pop and enhance your existing plants.
You could also add a few rocks or a large pot for visual texture. I think adding some Hard objects makes a spot more interesting and actually highlights your plants more.

I really like your exisitng landscaping and thing it is better without the chain link fence. You could add a hedge or a decorative fence in place of the chain link. I like using Black because it tends to fade away... your eye isn't drawn to it... but you certainly could create an "edge" with plants and rocks too.

Anyway... Looks like you have great beginnings... You must have a green thumb

PS..The plants I used and suggested, should be about the same water use as your exisiting plants. The Blue Hibiscus claims to like arid conditions, but seems to be doing fine on reg. water and clay soil and it has been blooming cont. for the past 2 months with no sign of stopping. I think it is a good plant for color (Super Flowers) It grows 4-6 feet with an open airy feel...it is a nice to use for texture and height change.
The Royal Robe Potato Bush can be pruned to a tree, shrub...whatever...takes heavy pruning well. I have mine all as shrubs, but thinking of pruning one to a tree shape for added interest.

I love all your plants. It looks like a cottage garden. I would replace the chain link fence with a picket fence with an arbor over the gate. A rose over the arbor would go well with your other plants.

Frankly, I think you have a lovely yard. I'm not all about consistency, if it grows well, grow it. But I kind of feel the yucca is out of place. When I was as kid, we had these huge mexican yuccas and while I like their flowers, I've always felt that they dominated the yard. We cut them out and got rid of them when I was as teen. I'm more inclined to grow California natives, like sages, romneya, fremontodendron, ceanothus, pentstemon spectabalis, bush lupines, and assorted shrubs like manzanita and carpinteria. The romneya really spreads, but those huge, fried egg blooms are gorgeous.

I wish I lived closer, so I could take that yucca off your hands. Beautiful plant! :)

Brenda

Try echium (pride of madeira) -- looks like a softer yucca but with big beautiful butterfly attracting purple-blue flower stalks in the springtime -- it's low water, likes frying on my hillside and on freeway embankments, a great tough plant.

And if you can, remove the chain link fence.

Thank you all for the comments. I've been spending quite a bit of time *looking* at the garden trying to sort through what works for me and what doesn't. Looking at pictures really helps! I had never done that much before.
My current plan is to work on moving around some of the plants I already have to fill in gaps. I have a giganic bunch of agapanthas (which funnily I had dug up and set on the ground, then never got around to moving and it has THRIVED) which I am going to move into the edge where the fence was.

We cleaned out a bit more of the yucca. It may go bit by bit, unless it outgrows my *pruning*
And that century plant...uh those things are heavy! Maybe it will stay after all. :)

Found a brugmansia growing at the base of the yucca. It looks like a nice candidate to transplant close to where some gladiola bulbs are currently coming up.

I have thought of some hardscaping schemes....having a hard time making up my mind on any thing in particular though.

The lemon definitely does need to be thinned out.

I had that exact thought of a little arbour above our path there, not sure one would squeeze in though.

My garden routine consists of mulching with manure (especially citrus which I don't know if you're supposed to or not...just what I do)and control slugs with sluggo. Trying to revive my gardenia with some commercial fertilizer, but it looks pretty sad (it used to be shaded by a large brugmansia).
Happy Gardening all!