Hi Cassandra,
here's what we found
in your yard.

East side of the backyard, against the block wall

This wall gets hot, and right now there's nothing on it to soften that. A couple of passion fruit vines will climb up and cover it, cool the space down, and give you fruit as a bonus. They'll need a trellis or some kind of support to climb on, that part's outside what we do, but we're happy to point you toward someone if you'd like a hand with it.

There's also a good amount of rock along this wall right now. Pulling that out and swapping it for mulch would make a real difference in how hot this area feels. We don't do rock removal ourselves, but we can help you find someone who does, or if you've already got someone in mind, that works too. Once the rock's out, we're estimating about 4 cubic yards of mulch to fill the space. It's not a deal breaker if this one doesn't happen, but it would go a long way toward cooling things down here.

2× Passion fruit vine, 5 gal

Peach tree

Your peach tree needs a proper prune this winter to stay healthy and productive. It's a one-time job, just let us know when you'd like us to come take care of it.

Jacarandas

Feeding your two jacarandas is going to make a real difference in how they look, that's part of the whole-yard fertilizing program below. In the rock area underneath them, we're adding yellow dot so it fills in quickly.

14× Yellow dot, 5 gal

Root flares, throughout the yard

Every tree in the yard would benefit from having its root flare exposed, the video above shows why this matters and what it actually looks like when it's done right.

This is what a properly exposed root flare looks like. Since you're already a consult client, we can take care of this at $100 per tree, just let us know which ones you'd like us to start with.

Tree pruning, all trees

All the trees on the property could use a good prune from a certified arborist, it's the kind of thing that keeps them healthy and looking their best long term. The one we'd flag first is the ash tree in the northeast corner, it's grown over your citrus tree and is shading it out. This falls outside what we do, so we'd point you toward a certified arborist for this one, happy to send some names your way if that's helpful.

Pool fence

The pavers around the pool throw off a lot of reflected heat onto this fence. Tangerine crossvine will climb it and cool the space right down. We'll run horizontal wires for the vines to grab onto as they grow.

2× Tangerine crossvine, 5 gal

Pool area, back wall

Most of this stretch is pavers, so there isn't much soil to work with. Covering what's there protects it, helps your trees, and cools the area down. There's also room for one more vine on the block wall, in the gap between the red push pistache and the citrus.

3× Yellow dot, 5 gal

1× Tangerine crossvine, 5 gal

Pool area, east-facing wall by the rock feature

This stretch of exposed block wall and pavers soaks up a lot of heat. Hopseed is a great fit here, it stays compact, doesn't have aggressive roots, and won't make a mess. We can keep it trimmed to wall height, or let it grow taller for some afternoon shade, whichever you'd prefer.

8× Hopseed, 5 gal

Pool area, north-facing wall

There's a small gap at the west end where the privets stop. Adding two more finishes the hedge out. We're also bringing in a creeping fig to climb the wall, no trellis needed for this one. The idea for the whole pool area is to make it feel lush and green from every angle.

1× Creeping fig, 5 gal

Side backyard, near the dead citrus

This area runs hot, so the first move is mulch to cool it down right away. After that, ground cover keeps it cool for the long haul. For the dead citrus, October is the right time to plant a replacement, and the variety's totally up to you. If you'd like a place to start, Greenfield Citrus is who we recommend, they've got a great selection and it's a solid local option. There's also a vine going in on the east-facing wall behind the citrus.

4× Yellow dot, 5 gal

1× Bower vine, 5 gal

Courtyard, ficus between the oleanders

The ficus between your oleanders just aren't going to make it, there's too much shade from the oleanders for them to ever really grow. Once those come out, ask your landscaper to stop trimming the bottom of the oleanders. They'll fill that space in naturally on their own.

Front yard, mystery plant

There's a plant along the front we still haven't identified that's taken over your privets and roses. Honestly, it comes down to what you'd rather have. Leave it, and it'll keep shading out the privets and roses underneath. Pull it, and they finally get the room and light to really take off. Whatever you decide, we're happy to help either way.

Front walkway, privet gap

There's a gap in the privet hedge along the walkway, and it turns out there's more room here than we first thought. Filling it in with a fuller hedge finishes it out properly, and mulch in the bed cools it down since it's running hot.

Red push pistache, front yard

The suckers growing at the base need to be pruned back, and we'll raise up the canopy a bit too, that'll open up more light for the roses underneath so they can really take off. We'll mulch the water well around the tree and expose the root flare while we're in there.

Irrigation

Everything's looking okay for now. The schedule isn't quite ideal, but this time of year is too hot to start making changes, adjusting it now could shock the plants. Once it cools down this fall, we'll take a look and get everything dialed in and ready for spring.