pool privacy bush/trees - hardiness zone 10a , SFO bay area

[norcalpool1]

Any suggestions what kind of bushes/trees as a privacy screen along the fence between neighbors?
(anything other than the tall thin monoliths).

An ideal privacy screen would be a
- evergreen
- low litter
- can be trimmed 4-5 ft from the ground and spreads around like a tree
- pool-friendly root system (a large bush instead of a tree?)
- 10-15 feet tall, perhaps a bit more, but not much more
- not dense at all, but sparse enough that has gaps for sunlight to go through

Here are what I am finding:

1. certain varieties of Ceanothus that can grow tall enough (native to california)
Ceanothus - UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

2. Some varieties of Wax myrtle (pacific wax myrtle, southern wax myrtle)

I have had suggestions about cherry laurel, but they are a bit toxic to pets at times.
Thanks!

 

[Dirk]

I think what I have is called a strawberry tree. It's evergreen and while it does drop some leaves, as all trees do, it's not a lot, and there is no big fall drop. I have several of these and some are bush-like (lower, with branches starting near ground), while others are tree-like (taller, with branches starting higher up). They were here before I purchased the house, so I'm not sure if they were purchased that way, or trimmed that way. You can't really see through them, but they are not dense enough where they don't let ambient light through. And [to me] they are very attractive. I think my biggest one is about 12'.

The rest of my trees are evergreens (spruce or cypress, I think) and work well around my pool. They drop stuff in high wind. They also drop sap, which is not great under the one that overhangs my deck (the others have dirt or lawn under them).

Whoever landscaped my yard did a good job pool-wise. I was told it was the same guy that designed the pool, so he may have had good experience combining the two. My pool stays relatively clean year-round and only high winds mess it up, and with a relatively small amount of leaves even then.

 

[PoolGate]

Check out some Hollies. Magnolia is good too but slow growers.

 

[MrBfromNC]

Check out some Hollies. Magnolia is good too but slow growers.

Just be careful with Magnolia trees. Living in NC, I've seen tons of yards with Magnolias and it's true that offer lots of privacy and shade, but they drop a ton of those cones and HUGE leaves. Might be more of a pain that it's worth. Just my two cents...

 

[norcalpool1]

Thanks. I think I have a strawberry tree in the yard and was looking to buy one more as it seemed to have the right height for this yard. The leaves have a lot of brown edges on those. I have to find what is going on with it.