Project · Lafayette landscaping

Between Justin's & Ana's House

Productive evergreen screen — blocks direct line of sight, still walkable through

Goals

Visual screen. Block direct line of sight between the two houses.
Stays evergreen. No deciduous gaps in winter.
Productive. Edible fruit, herbs, or tea leaves on every plant.
Pass-through. The space is still walkable — plants in clusters with gaps for a stepping-stone path, not a solid hedge.

Plant	Why it fits	Mature size
Pineapple guava 'Coolidge' (Feijoa sellowiana)	Anchor. Dense evergreen. Edible flowers + fruit. Self-fertile cultivar — one plant produces.	8–12 ft tall × 6–8 ft wide
Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis)	Tight columnar evergreen. Leaves = cooking bay. Slow-growing so it stays in scale.	10–15 ft, narrow
Strawberry tree 'Marina' (Arbutus unedo)	Evergreen with bell flowers + edible red fruit at the same time in fall. Slow, dense, never a bare branch.	10–15 ft tall × 8–10 ft wide
Yuzu (Citrus junos)	Cold-hardiest citrus. Evergreen. Fragrant zest for cooking. Has thorns — keep off the path side.	8–10 ft
Tea camellia (Camellia sinensis)	Evergreen shrub. Leaves harvestable for green / black tea. Tolerates partial shade between the houses well.	4–6 ft tall × 3–5 ft wide
Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue'	Lower-tier filler at 3–4 ft. Evergreen, culinary, drought-tolerant.	4 ft × 4 ft

Plant in alternating clusters with 4–5 ft gaps between clusters for the stepping-stone path. Stagger the heights — anchor (pineapple guava / strawberry tree) every ~8 ft, with bay laurel and tea camellia in between, and rosemary filling the lowest tier at the cluster edges.
Place yuzu away from the walking line (the thorns make it a pants-shredder).
The shade between two house walls is real — pick the sunniest side for the citrus and rosemary, push the tea camellia + strawberry tree toward the shadier end.
Mulch heavily once planted (3–4 in wood chips) and irrigate from the Phase 3 system for the first 2–3 years until everything is established.