People are either not getting the correct advice or not listening to good advice when using consultants. And pool consultants should be included here. The garden beds that are being left between pools, decking etc are far too narrow. Home owners are then looking for the magical plant that only grows .5 metre wide. This is impossible! To get the appropriate height with the required width of .5 metre is just not going to work. Ongoing pruning will be required and people can't be bothered.And please understand, bamboo is NOT the panacea for width problems as so many think. If you want healthy plants, then you need to allow for garden beds to be a MINIMUM of 1.5 metres wide to allow for a plant to grow 3 or more metres tall. 2 metres wide is better, but most won't allow this. If the yard is too small to accommodate a pool or large expanses of decking then my suggestion is to rethink how you manage the site.

They have shallow root system- so near your colourbond fence- the heat in Summer will not only dry the roots, but also burn them and the foliage. They require regular mulching and fertiliser, else the leaves yellow and they start dropping. Given you want them as the 2nd layer in your already narrow hedge, it will be a full-time job keeping them happy I think. If you are not a fan of this level of garden commitment- check out the regular mondo grass (not mini). It grows like a weed just about anywhere! Aganpanthus is another one. Both would be ideal 2nd layers and maintenance free.

Wow one day I'd love the budget to just say..."I would like this, this and this, and get rid of that and that"..and have it turn out as beautifully as this space. Well done!

Hey there, what an exciting project. I think if you painted the pool fence the same colour as the boundary fence it would look good and help to tie it all in. What state are you located in? If you get warm temperatures a tropical garden will look good. I'd recommend plants like Philodendron xanadu, Rhapis excelsa, Strelitzia reginae and Zoysia tenuifolia. They won't drop leaves and don't have invasive roots. Hope that helps :)