A: need for screening:
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1. visual screening along the road, Golden Oak. Some of the length of the property line is currently screened by a rickety fence that suddenly stops. The section downhill from the driveway (some 130 feet) is part of a natural oak knoll: beautiful old oaks growing of rocky soil (very hard to dig!) The oaks alone cannot provide sufficient screening between the road and the house
2. visual screening towards down hill neighbor, i.e. more dense planting than now along existing fence, max. 10 feet when fully grown
3. visual and possibly auditory screening further down the same property line. Alpine and the Los Trancos intersection are visible between the current planting; i.e. layers of planting of up to 30-40 feet tall in mature height (or perhaps an idea for somewhat lower planing further up the hill towards my house
4. visual screening towards a cottage/play area further down along the same property line
5. visual screening at the south end of the property, mature height less than 10 feet.
6. occasional filling out of large gaps in perimeter planting towards uphill neighbor.
B: Fencing for a small orchard like area on the east side of the house
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The fencing should be non-conspicuous but serve to keep deer away from this place (approx. size of "orchard": 30' x 50' - wonder if it is too small)
C: Planting along the driveway - from street to house
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Currently a lot of scraggly, gangly looking shrubs and small trees - instead I want
1. banks of native plants on both sides of driveway - all the way to the street (low on water, but OK with, say, weekly sprinkle)
2. provide screening (without looking like a hedge) to define the edges of the semi public area (the entry and the driveway) and without requiring a lot of water
D: Sitting areas for on south side of house (opposite driveway)
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There are different weathers and winds to attend to, possibly requiring several different patio areas:
1. Hot summer: shading by pergola and grape vines
2. Windy days: typically in the spring I have a chilling wind blowing from SW
3. Chilly evening for outdoor BBQ
4. Entertaining
E: Transition between house and meadow
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Currently I have a semi-rotten retaining wall 20 feet from the house on the south side; it has been backfilled so there is a 3-4 feet level difference between the patio area and the meadow further below. I would like to soften the transition, for instance by removing some of the backfill and building a few safe steps where needed.
There is a longish grove of six redwoods along the south side of the house; several of them are deformed from early top-pruning. They were planted without regard for natural water supply from ground water - possibly relying on a septic system that is no longer in place. I am considering removing them or most of them. There is another redwood grove further down in the meadow - that is thriving on a natural water supply (a small fault line making the water table quite low.
F: Reestablishing the meadow with natives
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Over the coming years I might be interested in actively restoring the meadow to natives only.
