What plants in Los Angeles that will thrive? (flowers, Hydrangea, containers)

[Londonteacher]

We are excited to move to a house with a small garden. There is a 4 foot long section with a sheer drop and I need to child proof it. So thinking three square wooden big planter boxes with high isvh plants in to create a barrier.
The question is what do I put in them
I am drawn to hydrangea plants but are they fragile?
Do they need much watering?
Would deer eat them...sometimes deer come down into the yard....and the landlord sassy they would eat roses.



Any ideas folks? Thank you!!

[georgeinbandonoregon]

IMHO, hydrangeas will need lots of water especially in containers and will probably not be happy unless they get at least partial shade in most inland portions of l.a. I deer may or may not eat them so that's an open question. you might consider planting bottlebrush (callistemon citrinus) which is somewhat less water hungry (though most ANY plant is more sensitive to drought in a container)---the callistemon will have pretty red flowers in spring/summer and should be generally shunned by deer.. it can take regular pruning to keep it dense. other plants that might work include oleander (very tough and deer resistant) and new Zealand flax/phormium (especially the smaller sized colorful leaved types), and myrtle (myrtus communis) with fragrant leaves generally grows dense for a good screen and responds well to pruning as needed. hope this helps.

[no kudzu]

google is our friend

Drought Tolerant Plants for a Los Angeles area garden, Los Angeles Basin, including Santa Monica through Pasadena and Riverside.