As a groundcover for the entire space, Blue Rug Juniper, Juniperus horizontalis would work. Today I am in the mood for some Serviceberry. Look for a selection of Amelanchier arborea. Plant three of those in the planting strip to add some height and more interest.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h290

(OP) Thanks Christopher ! Blue Rug Juniper does seem to be a good choice. As for Serviceberry - can you please elaborate a bit on the "planting strip". Is it behind/on-top-of the retention wall or (10ft?) in-front of it (grade level of lawn)? Thanks !

Whoever (probably builder) designed the fence, wall & slope did not seem to have any idea of where the property line was, or how to design these things, as this is wrong on several counts, and will forever be annoying on account of it. Fences go at tops of hills, not bottom. Otherwise, they catch trash and make maintenance difficult. And they go at the property line so one doesn't have property to maintain on their other side. The retaining wall ends should return into the slope, as opposed to awkwardly stepping down.

Is there is no other goal involved ... such as screening the view of the neighboring home? We don't know what part of your home is facing this direction, but the view is toward the neighbor's outdoor living space.

The 'planting strip' is the four foot wide section of land above the wall on the neighbor's side of the fence. The Serviceberry gets planted in the juniper groundcover.

Why not leave it just as it is? Your neighbor appears to be mowing it, the fence was built in the wrong place, so just leave it.

(OP)

Yardvaark: As you guessed, the builder built it so and when asked, threw the county rule book at us, which apparently says that we need to leave atleast 3ft of space between a neighbors lot and our retention wall. [EDIT: And apparently, there is another rule which requires a fence <1ft from the retention wall, hence the aluminum fence. The builder/Pulte put up such fences with all the other retention walls in the community, so am thinking its legit. Not sure about the 3ft rule though.] The back of our home is facing this direction, and we've never thought of screening the view as such. Would it be good to screen - maybe, atleast screen visibility from the road. Would Serviceberry's suggested by Christopher help with that? Or do you have some other suggestions? Thanks !

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Christopher C NC: Will investigate the Serviceberry option after work today. Hoping they will fit well with the retention wall. Thanks !
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Laceyvail 6A, WV: The neighbors contracted their landscaping to a company, and we want to avoid the contractor running their heavy lawn-movers into the black aluminum fence and possibly damaging the retention wall. So, we've been going around the fence and whacking the grass with a trimmer, which has been a pain. Needless to say, the outcome is definitely unsightly. Hence needing a better alternative. Thanks !

The Serviceberry I suggested is a small tree form and I wouldn't worry about it harming the wall. Serviceberry comes as shrubs too.

Absolutely yes it would enhance the property to screen the houses and road from your backyard view by planting something above the wall and fence even if it isn't Serviceberry. I chose the tree form Serviceberry for the height to hide those houses. I see you have two trees already plopped in the middle of the lawn. They look new enough to transplant to better thought out locations. A fine time for that is now.

Tell your neighbor to replace the missing siding on the back of their house. It annoys me. Makes me want to plant a tree to hide it.

Thanks Christopher ! Appreciate you sharing more detail on the Serviceberry.

The two trees you see on the lawn are a good distance away from the retention wall, so they wont damage it, and they're a good 30 ft away from our home. So we've not bothered with them. Any reason you would suggest relocating them? They're on the county plans, so would be a pain to move.

As for the missing siding on our neighbors home, it's from a recent storm (in the last 2 weeks). I believe, the neighbor is getting quotes to get it fixed. They're great neighbors BTW.

Before moving the two trees in the lawn, a thorough site analysis and big picture landscape plan would need to be considered. They just look plopped in the lawn by the builder. Kinda like the wall and fence. Could there be a better place for them long term?

A second look at them does have them well positioned to screen the view long term, so maybe they are in the best place. I just wonder.

I have a 25 yr old serviceberry muti-trunk tree in the back corner of the yard, It is 20 ft tall and has white blooms in the spring and very colorful foliage in the fall. Doesn't need much upkeep. I am in north Georgia. It is one of my favorite trees (among many).

(OP)

Yes Christopher, you may be right. Did not give it much thought earlier, but the two trees do seem to be well positioned to screen the backyard, a few years from now.

Seeing the post from frankielynnsie (Thanks frankielynnsie !), about his/her "multi-trunk tree", I'm wondering if Serviceberry is a good fit for us. After taking out the space between the retention wall and the aluminum fence, we just have <3ft of space. Am thinking this will at a minimum result in a tree-shade and flower/fruit debris on the neighbors property. Even if the current resident is ok with it, not sure if future residents would be the same. Given that, I'm getting more inclined toward a fruit/flower-free-shrub. What are your thoughts?

My serviceberry is not messy. The flowers are small and so are the leaves so they decompose quickly. It doesn't throw down dead branches.

(OP) Thanks Yardvaark and frankielynnsie ! I'll check with our neighbors and proceed with the Serviceberry for screen cover.

As for ground cover, Blue Rug juniper seemed like a great choice. But checking videos/pictures, it does look like a great cover/home for snakes. FYI, there are a lot of snakes around here (RTP, NC), and we have woods closeby (<60 ft). Thoughts?

Comment in another houzz thread: "i watched the snake for about 3 weeks. I was continuously seeing it whenever I walked out to the yard. The creeping juniper was its home. May be the dense dark prototection from juniper is a perfect spot for them. We removed the remaining juniper's beds. Found the snake, took care of it and are in the process of filling the bed with Thyme."

Snakes eat vermin. Take your pick. You have lightning and tornadoes in (RTP, NC) too.

And if it is not an area you will be walking in or working often, not much of a concern. And while I do understand an aversion to snakes in general, most are not venomous. Even common garter snakes here will make me jump when I encounter them suddenly! And they are totally harmless :-)

(OP) Thanks Christopher and gardengal48 !

While it's true that snakes should be made welcome as being part of nature, we've toddlers in 3 of 4 homes adjacent to this parcel of land. And kids play next to it. So would not want to risk their lives by having potentially poisonous snakes near their play area.

So are there any ground cover suggestions that would accommodate snake-free as well? Much appreciate all your help everyone !

Your neighbour doesn't even have a fence between them and the road. That's how worried they are about child safety. Any kid is infinitely more likely to get run over, or poisoned by something they find under the kitchen sink in their own home, than get hurt by a snake.

(OP) Sorry floral_uk, I do not want to comment on the neighbors choices. But mainly, do not want a hurt child on my conscience. BTW, I've a toddler, and so does one of my other neighbors, whose kids play with ours right next to the retention wall. Thank you !

Snakes do not need juniper to hide or to live long and prosper. Juniper is not some kind a snake magnet. Snake free groundcover! People are working on that in the lab as we speak.