privacy screen; "green walls"

[Turqueza]

Need to plant 2 'green walls" in coastal Los Angeles - One on our side of the fence, north side of house - neighbor's cement driveway is on the other side - light shade in winter, partial sun in summer - right now there are a few camelias there - lovely, but so slow growing, and still kind of open habit. Would love something fast-growing, tall, relatively narrow (or can be trained that way) and relatively small leaves - many of the recommmended plants have gigantic ones! Berries for birds and flowers or colored foliage a plus.
The other would be just above a two foot brick retaining wall at the bottom of a gently sloping front yard with fruit trees....plenty of sun, water from once or twice weekly lawn watering.
We're building a deck off the front of the house, so want something green and beautiful to look at!
Thanks much.

 

[journey11]

Turqueza!

I have a suggestion for your north side.

Austrees. http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Austree.htm (Not sure if this is the best place to buy them, but had a pic/description there.)

My mom and sister have them, and they are really pretty and grow super fast. In 3 years you have a full size tree. They are willowy in their appearance (but don't droop). You can plant them in tight rows, but one standing alone is extra pretty. Once they get going, you can take cuttings off of them and they propagate very easily. Just stick them in a bucket of water for a month or two to develop roots, then plant and keep well watered until established.

No berries, but my mom hangs her bird feeders in hers.

Another good thing about these trees is that they are very flexible in high winds. You don't have to worry about limbs breaking or crashing into your house, so you can plant them close to things where you couldn't plant something like a maple or oak.

 

[nittygrittydirtdigger]

Bougainvillea is so easy to grow there, and provides color and quick coverage.

 

[ducks4you]

Check out my post and pic from 01-15--
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=247999#p247999
It shows a living fence, made from willow trees.

 

[Turqueza]

Thanks to you all- bougainvila is a great idea for the west facing front yard; the Aussie trees look wonderful - if I have enough clearance....don't know how willows would do in L A!