Yes I see your point. It is steep and is not the best looking wall. What about the idea of hiding the whole wall by planting a screening plant, dense to the ground and tall enough to hide some if not all of the wall and fence behind. The site looks as though it is coastal and is the soil deep sand? If so these soils are considerably malnourished - they need a lot of vegetative matter added and you will need to keep up a fertiliser regime [organic] to all of the plants that you use. You also need to bear in mind that all of these soils, if it is deep sand or with a limestone base are porous and drain very sharply. So choosing plants that aren't going to need a lot of water once established is a good idea. There a a lot of Lily Pillies on the market that grow quite tall that could fit the bill for the screen planting. Even if you put the LP at the top and then had Senecio serpens 'The Chalk Stick Plant' cascading down the walls would give a grey tone to the whole wall. Could look good and be really tough! Alison

Hiya, for a no fuss cover my suggestions are: Ivy - would cover the wall completely and also climb the fence. It's super easy to keep neat by using an electric hedge trimmer. Bamboo - get a species that is clumping - not spreading. Species that have black stems against the green leaves would look very striking. Most grow quite tall though and require full sun so you'd need to take this into account. Lilly Pilly's, Murraya's, Photinia's are hardy and great for tall hedges. Certain species grow quite quickly. Want to get some use out of your plants? Consider passionfruit vine. Great fruit, but the wine will lose its leaves in winter. Same with wisteria, ornamental grape, etc. Enjoy, and hope this helps. Cheers, Debs

I wouldn't build anything more on top of that. Stability is really important. I'm also wondering about your local rules if you build a new wall, how high does it have to be above the upper patio for safety, what are the rules for balustrades. Sorry, I'm not much help about that aspect, I'm aware of some pertinent questions but not the answers. Especially as they seem to vary in different jurisdictions. I've known of people who had to raise balustrades to meet code when selling, and I've seen listings with no balustrade above a sizeable drop where I've thought how is that legal. You'd really have to find out what your council requires. There should be info on their website I think. If I had the space I'd put in a more gently sloping garden bed, but I come at it from the point of view of someone who always wants more space for plants. :-)

Getting some expert advice from a landscaper or pool company re your retaining wall and pool fence relocation as it is quite close to the pool would be beneficial, better safe than sorry before attempting any work to avoid costly mishaps.