Your problem is the heat generated by the fence and the pool and path. Anything you plant will have to be super tough. All plants loose and replace their leaves. Evergreen drop some leaves all the time and deciduous once a year. Adding pebbles will only reflect more heat and is becoming a dated look along with the cordylines. I'm not sure of your climate but a bullet proof evergreen plant that will cover the fence and take sun, drought and frost is the nandina domestica. Upright growing but no pruning required. There are new varieties of this plant but this one is just the right height to cover the fence. If you get cold weather in winter you will also get autumn colour. Will sucker from the bottom to fill the gap but not a garden thug. Has berries but because of the upright habit should fall into the garden bed. Sometimes called sacred bamboo but not a bamboo.

Hi Roger, With the pleached trees, I think your underplanting amps up the tropical look especially if you go with a magnolia that have the dark green upper leave and the bronze underside. You could just go for banana or palms - personally I think you might be right about the clumping bamboo becoming a bit dense. Regarding your 400mm retaining wall - citrus are shallow rooted and tend to have a root system that goes out to their drip line. Maybe if you put it in a corner you can use the corner to espalier it in conjunction with staking it to get upper stablility but I'm not sure how it'd go with the roots - but give it a go at $30-50 depending upon size it's not an huge amount if it doesn't do well - just dig it up (just watch the thorns) and give it to a friend - check out Daileys for varieties and maybe get in touch and see what they think, they might do them on a dwarf root stock - I've found them to be helpful in the past. i'd be reluctant to underplant any kind of citrus though - as they are shallow feeders.

Regarding breaking up clay. I've started many new beds, some on clay. Buying in topsoil is not optimal, because it comes with weeds, so get the best you can afford from a reputable supplier. Order in the first lot of compost, after that make your own. Being in a rural area, get some manure too. Ask around where to get the cheap stuff. Ok. Put gypsum or clay breaker directly on your clay. Here's a link all about that. One guy is not in favour, but my plants grew well with it. Go easy on the manure, for two reasons. Native plants don't like it much. They definitely don't like too much fertilising. Also, this time of year, new growth can be burned by frosts, so Spring is fertilising time. The purpose of the manure is for adding organic matter to the clay, so put it on top of the gypsum. Scatter some sand too, not beach stuff. Scatter a little wood ash, if someone you know has a fire. Then add your soil/compost mixed. Pop some earthworms in too. When you plant your plants, fill the planting hole right up with water and let it drain down. Then plant. Give the plants another watering. Lay thick newspaper in between the plants, as in just open out the whole paper , and lay it as is. This will stop weeds coming up. Don't let it touch your plants. Cover the beds with mulch. If you're in outlying area, go for stone, as it won't add to the fuel load in a fire. Organic mulch is fine in an urban area, and will rot down to improve the soil. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=How+to+break+up+clay%3F&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari

Sherry, I really love your house, I love the charm and character of weatherboards. I'm trying to buy a new home for myself and would choose something like that in a heartbeat, except there is nothing like it in the area I'm looking. Looking at the first photo, I think I would let your house shine on its own merits. Definitely put a decent path to get to the car and along the fence seems perfect to me. Allow width for carrying bags of groceries and such so you don't hit plants. A path with garden each side means you can be brushing against wet plants too as well as damaging them. I really can't see you gaining any privacy in this space without blocking the house from the street so I think I would forget about a hedge and just go for a cottage garden, it would suit the house perfectly. Look for some perennial plants that don't require a lot of maintenance. Hydrangeas, for example, look fabulous when they are in flower, and they grow easily from cuttings but they do require severe pruning each autumn or they grow very leggy and untidy. Miniature varieties of azaleas, gardenias and such will add colour and perfume year after year with minimum maintenance and ground covers will help keep the weeds at bay. Astrogirl mentioned lambs ears - they make a lovely contrast in a garden and are also very easy to grow from cuttings. You can also add some height by putting flowers in tall pots As far as the nature strip goes, you would need to approach the Council about planting more trees. Many Councils will provide residents with trees when they know the residents will care for them or they will specify what you can grow. There are legal issues to consider when this is public land. Some trees have surface roots for example that can cause a pedestrian to trip and fall. Just be sure more trees won't stop sun and light to your garden so your plants don't grow and too much shade will cause moss to grow on your path that can be slippery and dangerous. Another issue to consider in planting close to the house are termites, especially with your weatherboards. How active are termites in your area? If you are in a termite prone area, it is not advised to put large shrubs against the walls of the house, you need to allow for air circulation. Don't stress too much over your plantings, like Astrogirl said it is all an experiment. Small plants can be moved if you change your mind. The best garden is one that evolves over time and it is so much more satisfying.