Perhaps check with your local council to see if they have a plant list. Many councils here in NSW do this to assist homeowners with choosing native Australian plants and some introduced plants that grow well and are in keeping with the area. Of course it depends on the look of your house and whether your landscaping plan will compliment that, or whether you want a manicured look, or a natural look, cottage garden look (e.g flowers and hedges) or a beachy look (e.g. if you have a pool) and so on. Fruit trees sometimes need a different aspect to other trees, so separating food trees from general foliage is something to consider. Oleanders are off the list in many parts of NSW too. We recently put a fence in similar to yours but it has been painted black as our house is modern. We've been advised on lomandra, banksia and grevilias and lili pillys for a native garden as we already have lemon scented gums and ironbarks on the property. If you consider the building style of your home, and the trees common to the area you're in, sometimes that can give some inspiration

I, too, like the idea of the fence being painted in Monument, or something similar. You look like you live in either in the tropics or subtropics, judging by the photos. Apart from looking attractive, you also want to the plants to have low leaf drop, be fairly hardy, not have an invasive root system, be reasonably low maintenance and sun tolerant (the pool area looks very hot and sunny, and you didn't mention if the palms next door provide any shade during the day). Anyway, here is my 5 cents worth: native pigface "Aussie Rambler"; blue fescue; bromeliad Neoregelia sheba; philodendron Xandadu; sun-tolerant cordyline species; dwarf ixora; dwarf frangipani. Bambino bougs also look lovely near a pool. You'll be picking up the old bracts as they drop but they look so gorgeous its worth it. Touch of Class have recently introduced some beautiful new varieties of dwarf oleanders (we have "Isabella"). Oleanders have been given a really bad rap about their toxicity, and yes, they are poisonous, however, they have never caused a human fatality in Australia and are no more toxic than many other plants we put in our home gardens. Apparently, they are a more of a threat to livestock who seem to eat them despite their bitter taste. Having said that, I wouldn't use them if you have young children or pets that like to chew everything. You'll have noticed that most of the plants I have suggested are of the "dwarf" variety. This is so the plants don't become too big for the pool area, and to help keep maintenance down. A self-cleaning palm like the golden cane, foxtail or Alexander could provide some overhead shade, but only if they were planted at least 1.5m away from the pool (preferably more). I would also be mulching with stones to minimise it ending up in the pool on windy or rainy days. Although I love natives, I have not suggested them, other than the pigface, to keep maintenance and leaf drop to a minimum.

Thank you all for your comments. Well, it's been a few months since my original post and we have since finished putting up the retaining wall and planting the hedge. We decided to go ahead with Murrayas - planted about 34-40 cm apart. I gave them a good trim about a week after planting at the end of Autumn and another quick trim at the start of Spring. They have really filled out in warm weather and I think the gaps between individual plants should close by the start of winter. I'm really happy with the choice - the hedge looks glossy and lush and the sweet smell of Murraya flowers is just beautiful. We didn't do any underplanting, but I'm still thinking about putting in the dwarf agapanthus for the inside border. A couple of weeks ago we planted some Rhaphiolepis "Snow Maiden" and Rhoeo along one side of the retaining wall to provide a border for a footpath and I'm really happy how it turned out.

Hey there Emma l, lovely deck and pool area you've got happening already! We particularly love that you're using a fully-frameless glass pool fence around your pool, very stylish! Have you considered either a succulent and rock garden (easy to maintain, modern to match your pool space, and can add a mix of shells, driftwood and found sea stones/objects to add to the coastal theme) OR a lovely water feature surrounded by smaller grasses (ie. mondo grass) and sea stones? Can't wait to see what you decide to go with.