We have just moved into a house in SoCal - zone 10 - and we finally have a yard!! Unfortunately the front yard, which accounts for some 40% of our lot, is pretty much unusable at the moment as it faces a busy street, and is very 'exposed'. I have two young toddlers so privacy and safety are a concern. Local regulations dictate that we can only have a front hedge height of 3.5" max... we were hoping to start one at that height and let it grow - hopefully no pen-pushers at the city will notice if it gets to 5" or so! We are allowed a pergola of 12" in width, so we will eventually add one with a higher, more secure entry gate (we get a lot of solicitors at the moment).

I would also LOVE some color in the front yard. Would a climbing rose work on the picket fence? Or just a straight rose hedge? Or roses elsewhere in the yard?

We're also considering Marjorie Channing (Pittosporum) as a hedge, or possibly the Majestic Indian Hawthorne.

I would love an English-style cottage garden look, but of course, the 40" palm tree might make that hard to work with!!

All suggestions gratefully received!