Our daughter's new house is some 2 feet above the pavement; the front
lawn starts atop a stone retaining wall. There is a strip of flower bed
on top of the wall, and then a lawn (about 4-5 m) to the house. The idea
would be to replace this bed with a sort of hedge, or maybe more of a
border, that would act as a kind of lace curtain. Obviously at night one
would have to draw the curtains, but she would like to be able to leave
them open during the day.

The plants/bushes would need to be evergreen (as they are more necessary
in the winter than in the summer), would have to grow to a height of
some 4-5 feet and be relatively self-supporting, and they need to be
happy in Surrey clay on a very dry slope. And it's a very pretty street,
so they should be more attractive and welcoming than impervious. (Oh,
and daughter is a complete newcomer to gardening, so they can't be too
difficult either.)

I think the way to go might be to have a range of plants that go well
together, as in a border - but I just can't picture what these might be,
and would be grateful for suggestions!


--
Klara, Gatwick basin