GOOD professional advice is worth every cent of what you pay. If it was my property, I would ignore the upper retaining wall and plant at the bottom, selecting a plant that will screen from the bottom to above the height of the fence. Its also much cheaper this way. There are numerous lily pillies available that you could consider. I would choose something like Syzygium 'Pinnacle' because of its eventual height, its adaptability to different soils and sites, and because it is relatively narrow. Its also fast growing. It is a conical grower. Plant them 1.75 metres apart or thereabouts, working the spacing depending on the length overall and then just nurture them. If you retain the the conical shape, then you wont need to hedge them - just leave free standing or trim the width a bit. Then bring in some taller trees that will grow higher or at least as tall as the Pinnacle - I would use deciduous to allow winter sunlight in and have large garden beds under the trees linking the whole area together with lawn or lily-dale toppings or similar. Lawn would be better for the children, but will need irrigation [in summer only if necessary]. And if growing lawn under trees, you need to be selective with the lawn type considering shade, tree roots etc. I know that people mock the use of lily pillies, but these are people who don't know what they are talking about. The knockers have grown lily pillies that are inappropriate to the position and because of their stuff-up, the whole range of wonderful plants gets canned. The right plant to the site is called sustainability. Councils/government are opening up a lot of areas that were once considered wet-land. So a lot of these new subdivisions do have drainage problems, and buildings with their footings increase the movement of water, increasing the drainage issues. Small gums, like the Eucalyptus leucoxylon ssp megalocarpa is a wonderful tree for soaking up excessive moisture. This is also worth adding to the tree mix, especially to shade western windows. Good luck with your project.

If the murraya and other shrubs are growing well then the area must get sun and should grow grass. If it is a high traffic area you may never be able to grow grass in the area they constantly walk on. To renovate if it is sunny and neglected - spike with a garden fork all over the compacted areas put down some fresh lose topsoil and replant or turf. The only answer if it is constantly used is to put concrete or pavers down. If you haven't watered lately, water regularly and fertilise you will be amazed if it is a running type grass. Grass likes regular water and fertiliser .

Wow amazing advice - thank you!! We are in the mid-hinterland on the Gold Coast. :) Since posting we have planted out the back strip with a mix of Vibernum, Chinese dwarf bamboo, elephant ears, Xanadu and ornamental grass. We still have both sides to do yet and it feels like it will never end! Unfortunately our garden beds were edged with pavers at build stage and we aren't equipped to rip them out to widen the garden beds now. but I am considering culling the mulch in some areas on the sides and putting in feature sections with Riverstones. I love the idea of using water feature/bowl and will try to incorporate one. We went and bought 9 golden cane palms which we haven't yet planted due to some posts online about the root systems and them being problematic, we are thinking about maybe putting them along the retaining wall, any ideas how to manage the root growth? We thought about keeping them in larger pots and planting around the pots, has anyone seen this executed well? Updated pic attached. You can see a bush fire that went across the hinterland yesterday, bit close for comfort! Also the palms we are thinking about in bags against the wall. PS - Whoever would have thought that turf is so hard to keep lush! OMG thats a whole other post! hahaha

Hello Lousie, Thank you for your support. We are always uploading articles covering so many aspects of the garden, the designing of and much much more. Do follow us via our Facebook and Instagram pages as well as HOUZZ. You may find some ideas that inspire you. Once again thanks Chris Slaughter - Lead Designer www.scenicbluedesign.com.au