This project is a front yard lawn removal and it's going to be a succulent garden that I plan to terrace with cinder moss rock. So far, the lawn is gone and I've amended the soil. 1 ton of cinder moss rock has been delivered.

The main part is 13' x 13' and it's sloped, And that's mainly what I need help dealing with is the slope. There are also spaces on each side of the entryway and one side has a little semi circle retaining wall (like a tree well) made with wall block~ If I mess with those blocks, all the dirt spills into neighbors driveway. I was thinking maybe I'd try and remove like 1 or 2 blocks in order to plant something that trails down over to camouflage the block but then I'm still undecided what to do for each side of the entryway. (One thought is a big tall vase on each side, but still not sure)

So the 2 main areas I like any suggestions/ advice for are 1)selecting either the right plant or architectural feature(s)to put on either side of the front entryway(nothing fancy or complicated). I don't think a tree is a good idea since it will litter all over the succulents and shade them but some height & something contrasting and soft against the house maybe. What ever goes there has to be able to tolerate wind.

2) The other question I have is about the existing brick border that's there~Should I remove it or leave it? If I remove it, at what point? Should I wait until after I've planted so the roots hold the soil? Could I use some bender board. I'd like to remove them but I'm scared I'll make a big mess & regret it.

It's not really relevant, but I just want to add that I met the client a couple years ago when she came to my house to buy some plants from me. She's a neighbor and saw that I was replacing sections of my own lawn with succulents & native plantings. Without a doubt, she's saving money by having someone like myself do the work, but she's not cheap and I don't get the sense that's WHY she chose me. She & I are definitely on the same page as far as how we both envision the space. I had taken photos of similar front yards in the area before I got started and when I went to meet & show her, she had taken photos of the exact same front yard on the same day! We realized we had missed each other by only about 15 minutes!

I'd really appreciate ANY advice that might help me avoid any major blunders as well as feedback & suggestions & I welcome any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
Thanks so much (in advance)!

To address a couple of your questions :
The scalloped concrete edging screams cheap DIY'er. From a design standpoint it has to go.
If you need to retain the soil from washing out over the edge you can use stone to create an undulating border - by undulating , I mean think outside of the box and create a whole new outline with the rock.
A mark of an amatuer is lining the outside edges with rock - take it to the next level and create your own borders. You can create pockets, niches and best of all , you can integrate that terrible looking tree well.

Next - ... the terrible looking tree well. - No good. not good at all. It has to be reworked.
A couple of large boulders and a few mid size will do the trick.
If you aren't quite adept with stone placement, get someone who is. This is an important feature., it's the only real elevation change on the tableau and it needs to be wonderfully fit with a sculptural edge. It will pay off big time to have some nice stone placement holding this corner.

In regards to plant placement and choice - well that is up to you, and it seems like you have a nice palette to work with ( judging by your photos, especially of the one taken at Sherman Library gardens )

A nice large beautifully glazed pot strategically placed infront of the gas meter would be a wonderful touch.

Knock 'em dead with a great design.

After staring at the entryway today, I thought instead of trying to do something matching on either side of entry way, a cluster of 3 pots diff size & shape but same color would look nice there. The client likes that idea too and said she wants turquoise colored pots~ I love turquoise. .

Should I move the dirt when working that area or make like a silt fence?

Are there any books anyone can recommend? I just ordered "Designing with Succulents" & "Rock Garden Design and Construction" (North American Rock Garden Society)

Regarding the tree well, I found myself pondering that overnight for some reason. There is something about it being the neighbour's driveway below it that gives me pause. It is one thing to put an overhead hazard above your own driveway, quite another with the neighbour's. While the aesthetics and plants are a lot more fun to play around with, once you have those kind of worked out in your head, I would put significant attention into assuring that your retaining solution has structural integrity. This is a benefit that the stones presently in use probably have, and is why I would not use dry-stacked natural stone here, for example. I would tend toward manufactured stone with an overlap lip, or poured concrete.

Akin to the deep footings on the wall that Yardvaark has proposed, if you go with boulders instead this means that they must be set below the top of the neighbour's wall and that their weight must be carefully placed so their tendency is to lean inwards.

Sometimes you place a boulder with its prettiest side out only to find its shape makes it want to lean out. Normally you can shore that up with a little packed dirt or a smaller rock. This setting, however, is not the place for that kind of a solution. So choose carefully.

This is actually not a bad pragmatic example of the situation being described in the recent thread by GardenShananagans, and I wonder if a little engineering consult might not be a good thing. We have not, I notice, mentioned water flow or nature of the soil. Perhaps we assume it will just be the same as before, but will it?

The other problem is that someone has to be able to get into the area to weed, but if you make something too walkable, a future owner, visitor, or passer-by will one day see their toddler balanced proudly at the highest point. As a matter of fact, I'm a little surprised there isn't a railing required there and I wonder if there is a solution that incorporates one.

Karin L

Check with your gas company - most places they just need to be close to the meter to get a reading, but you'll need to know. The mockup pots look fabulous.

Offer that awful edging on Craigslist - it'll be gone within the hour - and they'll probably help you remove it. Def put in FREE category.

It almost looks like this is one of our famous 'smart meters', that isn't read by a human being who comes out monthly, rather the info is sent by a computer in the meter to PGE ( our power company) .
Even if it is not been updated with the new computer systems , just leave enough room so the meter reader can swipe the hand held reading device or visually see the read out numbers.

I like the color of the pots that were chosen, It pops with the grey house color.

Along with Debra Baldwins most excellent book(s) you might enjoy looking at the Flickr website of Bay Area designer David Feix who works a lot with succulents, bromeliads and cloud forest plants.

Also check out Living Green's website , they do some very nice work with succulent design .

Flora Grubbs nursery blog is chock full of great design ideas.

Regarding waterflow & soil, I'm not sure if this is the answer but I'm planning to make terraces and the soil is like a sandy loam. I've been amending the soil with loam builder and a little compost (3cu.ft to be exact). When I removed the lawn & weeds~ I used round up (first time ever) & I got rid of about a 4-5 inch layer and rolled it up & bagged it in paper garden debris bags and they took 'em away on garbage day! (SF has no limit on the amount of compostable material) A couple years ago, I would have had to go to the dump. But back to the soil~ I think the drainage is good but I might add more compost (because I've taken out such a thick layer of organic material) and/or some pearlite or pumice.
I dug a hole about 8-10 inces deep & filled it w/ water and it drained most of the way in less than an hour.
Since I'm doing a little variety of natives & succulents good drainage definitely a priority.

And to answer duluth, this is a single family 3 BR home~ not a townhouse or condo. In San Francisco, many/most of the neighborhoods are built with the houses touching like that.

Deviant~ Yes it's a dumb I mean smart meter lol! And maybe Urban Farmer Store will have what I'm looking for. Thank you so much for the resources too. I just went to Flora Grubb and sent my client there as well. It's fun place to go for ideas & inspiration but too pricey for a practical girl like myself!

Cinder Moss Rock in the photo below. .

How do I find that thread by GardenShananagans?
If this job requires anything beyond a french drain it's beyond my repertoire.

The previous suggestions were an enormous help to me while doing this project so thanks everyone!