Hi Theresa,
here's your yard recap.

Back patio columns

The tangerine cross vine currently growing up your back patio columns is coming out, and we're replacing it with creeping fig. It's a better match for the look you're going for and it won't get as messy as the tangerine cross vine does. We'll plant right into the same holes the vines are in now. Worth repeating from our conversation: creeping fig is a slow grower, so there will be a stretch of time where the columns sit bare before it fills back in. It'll be worth the wait once it does.

Creeping figFicus pumila

Mature spread: climbs to 10–15 ft over time Sun: part shade to sun Water: doesn't need much once established

House wall, both sides

Up against the house, where the privets are now, some are dead and none of them look great anymore. We're pulling those out and replacing them with roses, 5 on the east side of the house and 5 on the other side. Color is completely up to you here, whatever you're drawn to will work.

Garden roseRosa hybrids

Mature size: varies by variety, typically 3–5 ft Sun: full sun Water: regular water, well-drained soil

Raised planter, back wall

The raised planter along your back wall has a mix of plants in it right now, some fern, some hibiscus, a few other things. We're simplifying that down to just ferns, a mix of foxtail and asparagus fern. It's green and clean, and it'll tie in nicely with the rest of the yard. Your yard and patio are pretty shaded, so ferns will do well there. We're planning on 32 total, which is a fairly full planting, my goal is to really fill the planter in rather than leave it sparse. If you'd rather start lighter and let it fill in over time, we can absolutely scale that number back, just let us know.

Foxtail fernAsparagus densiflorus 'Myers'

Mature size: 2–3 ft tall and wide Sun: bright light, protected from harsh midday sun Water: keep lightly moist, don't let it dry out completely

Asparagus fernAsparagus aethiopicus

Mature size: 2–3 ft tall, arching habit Sun: bright light, protected from harsh midday sun Water: keep lightly moist, don't let it dry out completely

Center of the back wall

Right in the middle of the back wall, where you look out from the back window, we're adding a Lady Banks rose. It keeps the same green, clean feel as the rest of the yard, gives you some color against the block wall, and adds coverage on that wall too. Lady Banks comes in yellow or white. My take is white will look best here, but it's your call.

Lady Banks roseRosa banksiae

Mature size: 10–20 ft tall and wide when kept pruned Sun: full sun, avoid hot reflected west walls Water: doesn't need much once established Bloom: single spring show, thornless

Chinese elms

You've got several large Chinese elms in the yard. To let a bit more light into the yard and keep the trees healthy long term, I'd recommend bringing in a good arborist this winter for some thinning and shaping. Happy to pass along the name of the arborist we use if that would help.

Turf and grass

You mentioned wanting the artificial turf gone, and I'm with you on that. Common bermuda won't hold up in the amount of shade your yard gets, so St. Augustine is really the only grass that will work here, and it only comes as sod, no seed option. This is another reason thinning the elms matters, a bit more sunlight will help the St. Augustine along too. My recommendation is to pull up the turf, level the area, and lay St. Augustine sod. Around any trees in the grass area, we'll leave a small well rather than bringing sod right up to the trunk, so the root flare doesn't end up buried. Spring, around April, is the best time to put sod down. This piece isn't priced here, happy to work out the details whenever you're ready to move on it.

Front wall, either side of the window

AI mockup, not exact, just to show the vibe we're going for

The front of your house has a big wall with a window in the center, currently covered in vines with some full shrubs in front of it. All of that is coming out for a completely different look, we're going full desert here. On either side of the wall, we'll start with bougainvillea. Rather than letting them bush out, we'll train them up and across the face of the house as a vine, which takes some pruning and patience but looks great once it fills in. Bougainvillea comes in some great colors beyond the standard magenta, worth looking through those together so you can pick. In front of the bougainvillea, one on each side, we'll add either a fencepost cactus or a totem pole cactus, whichever you like better. In the middle of the area, we'll plant a Perry's agave, with autumn sage on either side of it for color and to bring in hummingbirds. Then we'll fill in with blackfoot daisies as ground cover.

BougainvilleaBougainvillea spp.

Mature size: vine reaches 15–30 ft when trained up Sun: full sun Water: doesn't need much once established, overwatering reduces bloom

Fencepost cactusPachycereus marginatus

Mature size: up to 15–20 ft tall, narrow columnar form Sun: full sun Water: very little once established

Totem pole cactusPachycereus schottii f. monstrosus

Mature size: 10–15 ft tall, slow-growing, spineless Sun: full sun Water: very little once established

Perry's agaveAgave parryi

Mature size: 1–2 ft tall, 2 ft wide rosette Sun: full sun to light shade Water: very little once established Note: blooms once on a tall stalk, then leaves offset pups behind

Autumn sageSalvia greggii

Mature size: 3 ft tall and wide Sun: full sun Water: low to moderate Bloom: spring through fall, attracts hummingbirds

Blackfoot daisyMelampodium leucanthum

Mature size: low mound, about 1 ft tall and wide Sun: full sun Water: very little once established, don't overwater

Other side of the walkway

On the other side of the walkway there's a small area with a vine growing there now. We'll pull that and replace it with a bougainvillea as well, keeping it consistent with the other side.

Front of the garage

Right at the very front of the house, against the garage, the current shrubs don't match the desert direction we're going and aren't looking their best anyway. We'll replace them with a hedge, either hopseed or Arizona rosewood, whichever you prefer. Simple and clean, 10 plants total.

Hopseed bushDodonaea viscosa

Mature size: 12–15 ft tall and wide if unpruned, easy to keep as a shorter hedge Sun: full sun Water: doesn't need much once established

Arizona rosewoodVauquelinia californica

Mature size: 8–12 ft wide, can be kept as a 6 ft hedge or grow to 15–20 ft natural Sun: full sun Water: doesn't need much once established

Courtyard tree

We're bringing the desert theme into the courtyard too. The current tree there is coming out, and we're planting a desert willow in its place. Underneath it, we'll add penstemon as ground cover, which will also help bring in more hummingbirds.

Desert willowChilopsis linearis

Mature size: 15–25 ft tall and wide Sun: full sun Water: low, deep occasional watering improves bloom Note: deciduous, drops leaves in winter; trumpet flowers attract hummingbirds spring through fall

PenstemonPenstemon parryi

Mature size: 2–4 ft tall in bloom, 1–2 ft wide Sun: full sun to light shade Water: very little once established Bloom: late winter into spring, strong hummingbird draw

Courtyard pots

The two pots currently holding sago palms will get emptied out, and we'll replace those with either agave or elephant food, whichever direction you'd like to go.

AgaveAgave spp.

Mature size: compact rosette, typically 1–3 ft depending on variety Sun: full sun to light shade Water: very little once established

Elephant foodPortulacaria afra

Mature size: 8–15 ft if left unpruned, easy to keep smaller in a pot Sun: full sun to light shade Water: very little once established

In-ground bed, west side of the courtyard wall

There's an in-ground bed that wraps around the west side of the courtyard wall. To keep the desert theme going and bring in more hummingbirds and butterflies, here's the plan: desert milkweed and Greg's mistflower filling most of the bed, a fencepost cactus in each corner where the flat wall is, where the oleander is now, for some height and dimension, and chuparosa planted in between the two cactus.

Desert milkweedAsclepias subulata

Mature size: 3–5 ft tall and wide, mostly leafless upright stems Sun: full sun Water: low, benefits from occasional deep water Note: host plant for monarch and queen butterflies

Greg's mistflowerConoclinium greggii

Mature size: 1–2 ft tall, spreads to form a groundcover Sun: full sun to part shade (more blooms with afternoon shade in peak summer) Water: weekly in full sun, less in part shade Note: a strong butterfly draw, especially Queen butterflies

ChuparosaJusticia californica

Mature size: 4–6 ft tall, 6–8 ft wide, mounding form Sun: full sun Water: low Note: blooms nearly year-round, a major hummingbird food source