I have a questions concerning mulching the beds....I'm assuming I need to remove the sod from the beds and then lay mulch, correct? How do we handle the transition between the redbuds and beauty bushes and the firepit area (mulch to stone/crushed brick)? Any other tips when it comes to mulching?

Scott

It's actually quite common to do this same thing using no purchased edging at all. In that case the mulch meets the vertical cut edge of the lawn.

Sounds like you're doing pretty much the same as me~~several beds are what i'm going for, so am also doing various mediums for mulch. Have you considered crushed limestone or pea gravel?

Now I need to find you're original post!

Pine bark is great. Do that. :-)

Here is our progress and some observations (hopefully they can help others):

1. We have planted all trees and shrubs with the exception of the Annabelle hydrangea. The beautybush we ordered died but are going to be replaced by the vendor. One of the river birch (planted in groups of 3) also died and will be replaced down the road.

2. We spread two truckloads of mulch (total of 20 yards). I rented a sod cutter before we spread it but now have found new grass is still coming up through the mulch. I am just spot killing the new grass with roundup. Looking back, it probably would have been best to kill all grass with roundup first.

3. We used balsams for the area where "spruces" are designated and a viburnum where bottlebrush buckeye is designated. We also planted balsams along the back of the yard between the pool and fence. We know they will have to be moved or cut down but haven't made a final decision on this area yet.

4. We have begun building the deck which is placed on the southwest corner of the pool.

5. Japanese maple leaves were severly damaged by frost/freezes but new ones seem to be regrowing. This seems to be the most sensative of the trees we planted.

I will post pictures in the next few days! I also wanted to thank again everyone that helped us with advice and plants! We've learned so much from this site!

Finally, as many of you know, I always have new questions. On that note, does anyone have any suggestions on perennials to incorporate in the plan? Thanks as always!

So this is the plan you finally came up with? It looks remarkably like the how-to-draw-a-plan example I submitted! Well, pay your money and take your chances, I guess. : )

It is not abnormal for emerging leaves to be killed by a late frost. Most plants carry right on.

I'm curious, besides the areas that were unresolved, did there turn out to be areas that are a problem for one reason or another?

There are so many great perennials. I'd start with some of the tried and true and expand afterward into anything your heart desires. Some great basic ones are:

Hybrid or fancy Daylilies (Hemerocallis)
Siberian Iris ('Caesar's Brother' is common and pretty, too)
herbaceous Peonies
Hosta (shade)
Astilbe (shade)
Russian sage (Perovskia)
Goldenrod
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Pink or purple coneflower
Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Perennial Salvia (Salvia nemorosa)
Liatris (buy as bulbs)
Coreopsis
Pink or purple fountain grass (Pennisetum)

I was going to put asterisk by the ones that are "must have," but it would be all of them. Will give Russian Sage a double asterisk for its dramatic abilities. I'd find a place for every single one even if it's just temporary. In the next two years you can move them to where they're best suited after you get a chance to appraise their performance and abilities. (You will need to create some of the places for them.)

Grass by the pool: you might start with Miscanthus sinensis, either 'Gracillimus' or 'Morning Light', and also get a start of 'Strictus' or 'Zebrinus'

Southwest corner of backyard (along back deck)

Northwest corner of backyard (along back deck)

Back deck

Back of house

North side of backyard (river birches)

Northeast corner of backyard

Another shot of northeast corner of backyard

East side of backyard (back) facing south

East side of backyard (back) facing north

Start of deck construction (16' long by 12' wide) facing east

Since you have weeds/grass coming up, it's a blessing that you don't have groundcover in the way of the Roundup treatments. But soon... during the summer if you can water it regularly, or maybe in the fall if you can't, you'll want to install some groundcover. Eventually, the mulch will wear thin and invite more weeds if there is not groundcover already smothering out their attempts to invade.

It's hard to see many of the plants so not much comment for those. To the left of deck (as facing it from the back yard) it looks like the shrubs (Hydrangea) may be too close to the house wall. Their centers should be between 2' - 3' off the wall (uniformly, of course.) If the Potentilla in the same vicinity is running at an angle (as it appears) I'd straighten it up in line with the deck. If you're trying to round the lines out a bit, I'd do it instead with the addition of perennials filling in the corner space.

1. North lot line - River birch were planted in 7 clumps of three trees each. The clump that is to the furthest southwest position (front left in picture above) was a transplant from another area in the yard. It has been growing for 4 years or so (ordered as bare-root 2'), is approximately 7' tall, and is by far the fullest clump. The other two southmost clumps (hard to see but closest clumps in above picture) were bought a month ago as 2' bare-root. The 4 northmost clumps are comprised of two 2' bare root trees each and one donated tree each from Kevin. The donated trees are VERY tall (approximately 30' tall). One of them just died, but the other three are doing well. These donated trees are rather bare of leaves (especially down low) but I imagine they will fill in next year now that they are not in a "forest-type" environment. I know that I have a widely varied size/maturity of birches, and not sure how/when to prune to create a more uniformed look.

2. North lot line (Japanese Maples) - Kevin donated a beautiful Japanese maple that, like I said previously, was affected by the frost/freezes. It seems to be getting new leaves now. There is room for another Japanese maple which we still need to buy (I would imagine we need to wait until next spring now).

3. North lot line (Pogoda Dogwood) - Seems to be doing well. The leaves were slightly affected by the cold but seem to be okay otherwise.

4. Northeast corner. We moved the swingset slightly away from the fence and turned it. We planted two Oakleaf hydrangea on either side of the three trees in the back corner and they seem to be doing well. They are a bit sparse/tall but I'd imagine they'll fill over time? We ended up planting three different trees in the back corner (burr oak, red oak and hickory) because they were donated.

5. East lot line - Three balsam were planted in the area designated as "Spruce". They are about 2' tall and don't have the greatest shape (transplants from northern Wisconsin) but I'd imagine we can prune them as they grow. We planted two 4' Viburnum in a clump where Bottlebrush Buckeye were specified. It needs to be moved as spacing isn't correct but I'd imagine we should wait until next spring? Balsams were then planted in the area between the pool and fence. We planted them temporarily in case all the transplants didn't survive. We haven't decided if we'll leave them but understand that they will eventually have to be moved, or cut down when they get to be too big.

6. Pool deck - We decided to place the pool deck on the south west corner of the pool. It will run 16' from north to south (about half way across pool) and 12' east to west (most of that length will extend out into the yard.

7. South lot line - The area between the pool and south lot line is open and will eventually have solar panels located there. The beautybush we ordered online died but will be replaced. It probably is for the best as their placement may have to be tweaked once the deck is finished. Not sure how they will be placed as we don't want them blocking access beween fence and the deck (10-12' away from fence). The firepit area hasn't been started and may have to wait until next year. The area does seem kind of small so we'll have to see once the deck is finished.

8. Southwest corner - One mature redbud was donated and planted and is doing well. Six 2' bare root redbuds were ordered and planted and are growing. I'm still not happy with the spacing so I may need to make some modifications.

9. Deck area - Two Endless Summer hydrangeas were planted in the area designated as "Big Leaf Hydrangea" (south of deck along foundation). Three Goldfinger potentillas were planted along the south side of deck, one at the southeast corner (to the south of the stairs) three along the east side of the deck, and three to the north of the deck (along foundation leaving approximately 7' for two Annabelle hydrangea next to deck). The hibiscus bush was planted in the nook just to the north of the staircase (designated where a small tree could be planted in the design above). Three Sensation lilacs were planted along the north side of the deck. The serviceberry was tranplanted to the northeast corner of the house.

I think that pretty much sums up our progress. Thanks as always for all the help!

If I remeber correctly, I planted the hydrangea approximately 22" from the foundation. That was assuming they would reach the 3'-4' width size the tag said. The potentilla are 20" or so from deck and 3' apart. The first two (back two in the picture) are the same distance from the deck. The third is a bit closer as I was trying to create a rounded affect coming around the corner.

I will take more pictures and measurements of the areas you mentioned. Thanks again!

2. You can buy and plant the Jap maple anytime you can find it in a container or already balled and burlapped. You'll need to provide water until it's established. If the Jap. maples are in a grouping you'll need to find one that matches what you have.

4. "We ended up planting three different trees in the back corner (burr oak, red oak and hickory) because they were donated." Well, it's way at the back and who will care if you don't?

5. Sure, you can trim Spruce for shape as they grow. You can transplant Viburnums anytime during the dormant season when the ground isn't frozen. Fall or Spring. I like Fall because roots still grow even while the top is dormant.

8. If you want to change redbud spacing, wait until fall.

Within a year or two, as things develop and grow and you finish up your existing projects, you'll find it much easier tighten up the direction that brings it all home.

Nice job on getting this far! I'd put some thrust into developing groundcover so you are not looking at a sea of weatherbeaten mulch next year. If you are undecided about groundcover plants, you would do well to get samples of the various contenders. Install anywhere just for observation and to learn the plants. Knowing their personalities will make deciding the winners easier.

A popular large scale groundcover plant because of it's mostly evergreen nature and winter color is Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus', aka wintercreeper. 12" height. Sun or shade, but best color in sun. There is a similar variegated version.

A cheap, easy, deciduous groundcover is Virginia creeper. 10" ht.

Japanese Painted Fern... shade, 12" (+)

Low groundcovers could be...
Dianthus 'Firewitch'... strong bloom color, blue-green foliage
Aujuga... pretty, but watch location... attracts bumblebees when in bloom, various foliage color
Sedum sieboldii ... blue foliage
'Magic Carpet' Thyme, reddish pink bloom
Sedum kamtschaticum... yellow bloom

If something in particular at Menards attracts you, mention it here for feedback.

Of course, there are more than what I've mentioned. Maybe someone else will toss out some suggestions. Research the details of any that you consider to see if the plant's personality suits your goals.

It was during ensuing years that I observed that almost always, a narrow "line" of any plant (used like a necklace) never looked as good as a solid, wide bed of the same plant. So the idea of narrow lines of plants used as "edging" consistently rub me the wrong way. Out in the real world there are many bad ideas that are considered to be completely normal and acceptable and "edging" beds with a line of plants (even alternated ones) is one of them. Rather than giving a professional look, to me, it gives a fussy, "old lady-ish" look. And it adds more maintenance to the work schedule.

If the "edging" is w i d e , it begins to take on an acceptable character. I don't have time right now, but I wanted to show you how you could subdivide groundcover areas to add more interest. It will not be in opposition to the idea that continuity is important.

Though there are trees and shrubs planted, they are small and barely visible in the photos. It mostly looks like a yard of mulch. Obviously, the goal is not to feature a yard of mulch in future years. It's just where owners determined they needed to start in order to make things work with the budget. It will require patience to see results and depending on how it shakes out, some plant replacements and some additions may be needed later. Nevertheless, getting started with groundcover will be important unless the owner wants to add a lot more mulch for top-dressing in the future. This is a great time to explore and test groundcover possibilities. Learning how to propagate some plants (easy) from one's own stock can save a terrific amount of money. I installed a quarter acre of ivy in my own yard. It didn't cost me anything but a little time.

I have done some shopping, and so far have purchased the following perennials: coneflowers (purple "Magnus" and Powwow Wild Berry), dwarf coreopsis (Coreopsis auriculata), "Little Business" daylily, Black-eyed Susan "Goldstrum", Astible (red and pink), liatris (25 bulbs) and red lilies (10 bulbs). We also have two large clumps of salvia (each approximately 20" wide) growing in a back corner which we will move and yellow daylilies (I think 'Stella De Oro') growing in front which we can divide. We plan on planting in clumps of three plants each. We would like to work on planting in the beds along the back deck (along back of house) first. We are struggling with placement and spacing (don't want to block hydrangeas and potentillas).

I have also found a woman who is selling the following:

WOODLAND NATIVES

Celandine Poppy
Rue
Johnny-jump-up viola
Brown eyed susan
Black eyed susan
Purple Coneflower
White coneflower
Clustered bellflower
Sundrops
Buttercups
Canna Lily bulbs - Auguste Ferrier
Perennial bee balm

OTHER SHADE PLANTS

Hosta - many varieties including the miniatures
Astilbe (pink - spreading variety)
Astilbe (white - spreading variety)
Pachysandra
Purple clustered bellflower

SUN PLANTS:
Cactus
Sedum (varigated, Autumn Joy, Creeping golden groundcover)

Nepeta - Catmint
Gooseneck loosestrife
Monarda - red, deep pink, pastel pink, lavender
Spiderwort
hardy mums
Veronica

35 varieties of daylilies

38 varieties of iris (miniature, Siberian, and bearded)

Groundcover

Bugleweed Ajuga
Sedum
Pachysandra
White Nancy Spotted Dead Nettle
Lamb' Ear
Catmint Nepeta
Lady's Mantle - Alchemilla vulgaris

Not sure what is good and bad on this list but would appreciate any suggestions on what I should look at when I go to see her and where it might fit in to our plan.

Thanks as always!

Be more specific about the "spacing" questions. What and where exactly?

In those shady woodlands areas, you can't beat hostas and astilbe. Bugle weed too is beautiful, both foliage and flowers, but is a rather vigourous groundcover. And although you don't have it on the list, have you considered colombine, bleeding heart and of course ferns? There are a billion types of bellflowers - I prefer the smaller, clumping variety but they all have a long or recurrent bloom time, love nestling in semi-shaded rocks and are self-propagating.

As for the sun-loving plants that you've listed, I find that veronica is overall a better looking plant than salvia. Like veronica, catmint will rebloom if you cut them back after the first flush. Coreopsis is a great meadowland type flower that tends to look rather weedy when not in bloom. There are so many types of sedum, all of which do great in drier, well drained areas of the yard. Their best showcase in a northern garden is often beside walkways.

Daylilies are terrific when at their peak but you have to continually cut off the spent flowers to keep them looking tidy. Irises are strictly late spring/early summer, so make sure that the variety you pick has foliage that you like for the remainder of the season. Spiderwort too is much the same as the irises - I've had to give up on it in a mixed bed garden though because I keep mistaking it for clumps of grass and weeding them out ;"

The bees love monarda. They spread by runner and will pop up in unexpected places. If you like these flowers for their wildlife attractant value, you absolutely have to make room for Joe Pye weed - 6 foot tall (but sturdy) beautiful perennial flowers that amazingly die back to the ground each winter. A smaller plant with a similar flower head, acslepias, is an absolute must to attract monarch butterflies to the yard. The caterpillars will devour the leaves, leaving just the bloom and the cocoons behind but wow... in a few weeks, your yard will be alive with butterflies. So cool.

And my absolute favourite are johnny-jump-ups and violas. Such cheerful, brave little faces. The first to come in the spring, disappearing in summer only to re-emerge in the fall. And once you have planted them, you truly never know where they will "jump up" again the next year.

One of my concerns/struggles is creating a stepped looked of perennials (tallest in back, shortest in front). For example, from the list you provided, I would imagine coneflowers and liatris would be planted in the back (tallest) and coreopsis would be planted in front (smallest) with the rest of your suggestion in between. Wouldn't the coneflowers and liatris block the hydrangea and potentillas in back?

As for groundcover, you had mentioned groups, or large clumps, of same species together. For example, if we were to plant purple wintercreeper around the river birches, how large of an area would we ant to cover?

If you want a rule of thumb about perennial spacing, figure that somewhere between 18" to 24" will be reasonably safe. But as there is a HUGE range of perennials, this range cannot work for everything. But don't worry, you really can't make a mistake than can't be fixed. (Especially, since you are a transplanting expert!) And the agony of transplanting is all the drive you need as a stimulus to learn how to avoid it.

Also, don't worry about something being blocked in it's "baby", immature state. Worry only about it in it's mature, fully grown state.

From deck facing northeast. River birch grove.

Back of house facing south. Potenntilla (died) around deck, hbig leaf ydrangea in corner (purple), daylilies, redbud grove.

Pool, deck and beautyberry bushes (right of deck)

Facing back of house. Potentilla around deck, hibscus between deck and deck stairs

Back of house facing southwest. Redbud grove.

Facing back of yard (northeast)

Back of yard facing southeast. Viburnim plicatum tomentosum

Facing northeast. Balsam in foreground. Oakleaf hydrangea behind swingset

Back fence line facing northeast. Oakleaf hydrangea in foreground, oaks and hickory in corner (and lots of weeds).

Northeast corner. Pagoda dogwood in foreground, oakleaf hydrangea along fence, oaks and hickory in corner.

Facing east along south fenceline. Beautybushes.

Thanks again everyone for all your help. I learned a lot this year and lots of work this coming spring!

1. Do I just cut all the dead growth off on the perennials (purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, etc)
2. What do I do to the hibiscus (we bought it as a bulb in spring) for winter?
3. Should I prune the transplanted birches now? They are very tall (approximately 20' or so) and had a lot of green growth at the tops very little at the bottom (because they were transplanted from a forest setting).

I will take some pictures of the deck and a couple pictures from the second story to show the bed layouts this weekend.

This is the area in to the left of the back deck (if facing the house from the backyard - southwest) where we planted a redbud "grove". I will be adding a gate and replacing the 4' pressure treated fence panels with 5' cedar pickets spaced slightly closer together (any advice/tips?). I will also being moving a couple of the redbuds to adjust spacing. Do I need to trim/prune them (I'm not too worried about spring flowering this spring)?

Pictured are two broadleaf hydrangeas (Endless Summer) that are planted just to the left of the back deck along the foundation. I had a terrible time getting these to grow last summer. It seemed that I would water them and they would be wilted the next day. I'm not sure if the sun against the back of the house burned them or what. Maybe they should be moved somewhere else and replaced with some of the knockout roses from the front yard? Also, the potentillas I planted around the deck did not survive. Maybe it was just to dry last summer?

Serviceberry to the right of the back deck (northwest). Does the serviceberry need to be trimmed at all? There are shoots coming up (see shoot to the right of the main truck)....I'm assuming I just let this be?

These are pictures of the river birch grove along the north side of the backyard. There are seven groups of three trees each. As you can see, they are in different stages of growth. Some of the birches (very tall) were donated by a generous gardenweb member last spring. The big clump (third picture down) was started about 5 years ago in our backyard as bare root trees. The rest of the trees (2-3' tall) were started last Spring as bare roots. How do I trim/prune all these trees this spring to start building some conformity?

Japanes Maple along north side of back yard. I think this tree died unfortunately. It was transplanted and then we received a hard frost. The leaves died and never really grew back. If it is dead I need to buy a pair for this area. Any specific suggestions?

Pagoda Dogwood along north lot line. I'm not sure how this should look so I don't know if it needs trimming/pruning or not.

Oakleaf hydrangea along north east corner. Not sure if these need to be trimmed/pruned. They were donated (transplanted) last spring and are tall (not bushy).

Burr oak, red oak and hickory trees in northeast corner. Do these need any pruning or do I just let them grow for now?

Viburnim plicatum tomentosum along back of backyard (east). Not sure on the shape on this one either so not sure if trimming/pruning is needed.

This is the area along the south side of the backyard where we're planning the firepit. As of now we are plannig on building it in the ground using a metal firepit ring and some sort of rock but we are open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any replies. I know spring will come fast and I'm just trying to get a plan together.

In the first year or two typically you want only remove dead, diseased or rubbing branches.

You have a nice diversity but there is alot of pruning that needs to be done in multiple phases starting in year 2 or 3.

Most pruning advice come from a horticultural viewpoint as opposed to a landscape viewpoint. It's self-centered from the plant's perspective with little thought about how the plant fits into the creation of a larger display. You're on the right track as far as wanting like plants that are grouped together to behave in a similar fashion. Ditto on not being concerned with flowering. Plenty will come later.

It's helpful to know a couple of basic concepts of pruning. When a stem is cut back, it will usually encourage branching from the remaining portion of the stem. Where one stem was, several others will sprout. Likewise, cutting one "trunk" might turn it into 2 to 5 trunks. This is highly variable and depends to a large extent on the particular species and other conditions as to how many sprouts pop up to take the place of the one cut. This is the method that is used to "thicken up" branching (or "trunking" or "twigging") on a plant. The converse process is that of thinning, where side branches (or trunks or twigs) are entirely removed from a main member in order to obtain less thickened growth. These two processes may be used to obtain the exact thickness or thinness of branching (or "trunking" or "twigging") of the plant one desires.

Another major factor in creating the form of a tree would be the angle of spread of the trunk system. In the nursery, young plants, while the wood it highly flexible and form-able, are often tied to support systems in order to grow plants of uniform angle of trunk spread. Homeowners sometimes prefer to just pick the trunks that are growing most where and how desired and remove the rest.

Another factor that determines the form of a tree is how much clear trunk (the portion without any side branching) is permitted. Obviously, one cannot create 8' of clear trunk on an infant tree that is only 4' in height. Clear trunk can only be increased as is permitted by the overall height of the tree. While there are many opinions about how much clear trunk a tree should have and how it should be created, the general rule of thumb I use is up to 50% of the total plant height. If done BEFORE the spring flush of growth, the branch removal results in regrowth at the upper portions of the tree. It may return to a 60% canopy vs. 40% clear trunk, or something along those lines after the spring flush of growth is completed. Later in the year it will probably be even more canopy-heavy. Pruning in anticipation of what is to come is better in my opinion than reactionary pruning, which is what most people do. It's physically easier and there is less of a scar to heal on the plant. If a plant is to be in the shrub form, no clear trunk is desired or produced. Many woody plants can be grown as shrubs or trees and it is their owners who decide what form will work best as the plant is, above all, in the service of man. It's not up to the plant to decide, but plants do have their "preferences" which determine how much they are willing to cooperate. Those that sprout innumerable "trunks" or sucker prolifically would not be easy to make into tree forms ... unless one is after some sort of grove effect. Those that tend toward sparse trunks and leggy (branch-free) growth would not easily make good shrubs. Sometimes, plants balk at whatever it is one decides for them, but over the course of time (with ongoing insistence) may become cooperative. It depends.

Woody plants are better if trunks and branches do not begin on one side of the plant and cross over to the other side. It's bad form that, when visible, appears messy on trees and shrubs whenever the trunks are exposed to view. Even if hidden in foliage canopies it can sometimes lead to a disfigured appearance if heavy pruning is called for at a later time.

As one example, I would advise you to prune the river birches so as to make the most uniform appearance of the group. (While they may be of different size today, it's not likely to be noticeable after a few years, so you can ignore the difference for now.) While it's true that you could get away with doing nothing for a year or two and then catch up later, I would suggest making the obvious corrections now so as not to pay a higher price down the road. You'll need to decide what you think is the superior appearance for the species. (While most river birch are commonly grown in trunk clusters of 3-4 trunks, when I see 5-7 trunk clusters--since a primary reason for growing them is the bark--to me they seem superior, displaying more bark and offering a heftier stature. Decide what is your idea of optimum and work toward that.) For the trunk spread try to envision a cone shape (narrower at bottom) that the trunks will fit within. In order to maintain a uniform trunk spread, remove those that fall outside of the imagined cone and allow the best (of what number you decide) to remain within. You can use training devices--stakes, tying, etc.--while the wood is young and flexible, if it makes it easier. In your tree "A" below--which I think has the best presentation of the lot--at this time (anytime before the spring flush of growth) I'd remove only the trunk portion which appears to be crossing from the left side, through the center and over to the right side. Trees "B" and "D" seem to have a single trunk that is substantially larger than any other. While it might seem drastic, I'd remove those large trunks, cut to 6", and divert their growth energy into regrowth and into the smaller trunks. This will result in more uniform trunk size overall. It's likely that the trunk removed will still produce the largest trunks, but it will be 3 or so, not just one. Since there is such disparity, if you allow the large trunks to remain it's likely that they will shade the shorter trunks and slow their growth enough to prevent their catching up. Not all that much later, the removal of the larger trunks will be unnoticeable. It will probably be next year that you could concern yourself with removing extra trunks. For now, they could contribute to feeding the plant. By then, it's likely that some would advance over others and make their own "suggestions" about which should stay and which should be removed. At tree "C" there is not enough growth to warrant doing anything. Just feed and water during the growing season to encourage more growth.

I doubt if occasional watering of deciduous trees during the winter will amount to much but neither would it be likely to hurt anything. Evergreens might appreciate it if the soil is dry and the ground isn't frozen solid.)

I would give the wilting hydrangeas more time. Some plants have a difficult time getting adjusted. If plants wilt, don't automatically give them more water. If the soil is already damp and watering is frequent, the roots can rot which will cause never-ending wilt. Water according to the moisture condition of the soil, not the wilting condition of the plant. For new plants, sometimes you might need to offer some temporary shade for which something simple can be rigged.

1. Provided a tree was growing and healthy at the end of last summer/fall, it is okay to prune this spring?

2. What is the best time to prune? Can I prune now? Wait until February or March?

3. Do the redbuds need to be pruned at all? Some of the branches seem pretty low but I'm thinking I should wait another year to see how they develop? Thoughts?

4. Just to clarify, I should cut the main, tall river birches (20-25' tall) all the way down to the ground, down to 6", or down to 6'? And I would just leave all the remaining shoots or stems around the tall trees until next year? There is a smaller birch (8'-10') in the groups on the far right and far left (they were transplants)...cut those down too?

5. Just leave the serviceberry, dogwood and vibernium as is for this year? They are all shrubs I think so they are suppose to have multiple stems, correct?

6. Should the oakleaf hydrangeas be cut down to a certain height? Shouldn't they be more "bushy"?

7. Trim the low branches on the oaks and hickory (they are almost at ground level)?

Thanks again!

2. The best time to prune for major shaping and sizing is in the dormant season before the spring flush of growth. (Some people think that the closer to spring it is, the less likelihood of die-back from the cut area there will be.) But many pruning operations can occur during the growing season ... especially if you are trying to reduce size or limit growth. With pruning, most people are concerned about mistakenly cutting off the next batch of blooms. For plants that produce bloom on the previous season's growth ("old wood") prune as soon after flowering as possible so that there is time for next year's flower buds to form. It's the spring flowering woody plants that usually fall into this category. Research plants individually to see if they flower on new wood or old.

3. You'll need to decide if you want to grow the Redbuds as single trunk or multi-trunk trees. (If it was my yard, I would do multi.) They are small and new enough that you could do nothing this year but let them produce as many leaves as possible, trying to develop strength and vigor.

4. With the River Birches, I'm basically saying REMOVE the tall, single trunk that is seriously way ahead of any other potential trunks in their respective groups. If there were 5 similar trunks (or how many you want) in a group, I would not say to do this! "Remove" means to cut to 6 inches height. Leave all the remaining potential trunks; they can be sorted next year.

5. The serviceberry, dogwood and vibernium are all shrubs (I think that's what you are deciding) so are supposed to have multiple stems. Basically, check them for cross-over wood and give a light shaping, if needed. They may be too young to discern a shape so next year would be fine for doing that. If any are to be in the tree form you'll do the same plus some limbing up.

6. Make sure the oakleaf hydrangeas have light, water and fertilizer and they will become bushy on their own. You can cut the height if it's taller than you wish it to be. Otherwise, not really needed. When new stems form, you can remove the old one if it has a bad appearance.

7. Yes, trim the low branches on the oaks and hickory.

The only other points I'd offer is that some species are considered "bleeders". Although its ok to prune them in winter and spring you are best pruning in late spring/early summer or even in fall after they go dormant. But I still have issues during that time for larger cuts.

These species include maple, yellowwood and riverbirch. There are others.

Further more there are some species that you shouldn't prune in early spring/early summer. For example Red oak due to the beetle that spreads oak wilt.

You can go multi-stem or single stem on the river birch. Now is the time to decide which route you want to go.

Wondering about the "bleeding" you mention ... are you referring to the temporary (but sometimes seemingly lengthy) oozing of fluid after a cut, or an ongoing chronic condition that develops because of it? After various pruning over the years I've seen weeping that goes on for several days, but it has never appeared to do any actual damage or resulted in any lasting effect ... that I could see anyway. Is there conclusive evidence that it's a real danger to some species? Or is it just "alarming?"

Waas....out of curiosity, do you know the name of the bushes/perennials under the two river birch pictures you posted above (I'm just trying to get ideas of what to plant under ours)?

I know last year there was some concern about the shape of the beds around the river birch groves. I took some pictures this past weekend to show the actual outline/layout (I would like to make adjustments this spring if needed):

Thanks as always for everyone's help!

Yard
definitely not a long term issue with the bleeders. Its more or less an aesthetic issue that can cause temp. staining. Not all that attractive for white bark specimens. Large cuts can be problematic in certain cases.

Pm
Pic 1 you have ivory hello dogwood and awesome blossom daylily. Picture 2 you have my Monet weigela and pink supreme flower carpet rose.

1. The japanese maple we planted last spring (looked like bloodgood) along the north line (between the river birches on right and pagoda dogwood just to the left of the playset - full sun) did not do well and very well may be dead. It was affected greatly by the late frost we got last spring. After researching japanese maples this seems this is a common issue for them in our zone (5b). Therefore, we are going to replace the japanese maple with two or three shrubs/small trees. We really liked the dark red/purple of the original japanese maple (great contrast) so were thinking ninebark (may not be tall enough) or Sambucus Black Lace (Elderberry - It may be too dark...almost black). Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

2. We need to plant along the back (east lot line) and side (south lot line) of our pool. We originally thought we might install solar panels to heat the pool but now have decided against that idea. There is approximately 10' at the closest point between the pool and the fence at the back and 14' at the closest point along the side. Right now, we a are thinking a group of three upright junipers/arborvitaes in the back corner (southeast corner), and then tall grasses and/or shrubs along the two sides. We have to be careful with trees that are messy and who's roots could affect the pool lining. Ideally a shrub/grass that got to be about 8-10' would be ideal but after much reading, I know no plant stops growing at a magical height. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

3. The three beautybushes we planted along the south lot line did not so well. Two died originally and were replaced by the nursery we ordered from and were replaced. By the end of summer all three were doing poorly again and may be dead. Keep in mind we had an extremeley hot and dry summer last year. Should we replace them again or try something else?

Thanks as always!

You might look at 'Skyrocket' Juniper for the backdrop of the pool area. They're tough. And narrow. Also, explore Miscanthus grasses. Some of them get quite large and look quite lovely in a poolside setting. I'd consider finding the Jap Maple and Beauty Bush locally in containers. Sometimes, bare root through the mail can by "iffy." If one is experienced and can be reasonably certain of the quality they're getting, and if plants are hard to find locally, then there's a good reason to use mail order. But if there's difficulties, I'd shop locally first. Here in Florida, even the big box stores carry an amazing variety of plants and the prices are (usually) reasonable. If there are other nurseries and garden centers around, you might check them out. It depends on how much a person wants something as to how much they're willing to pay, but for the most part, many plants are inexpensive. I know for a fact that some of the plants you lost grow well there and are not terribly difficult (especially Beauty Bush!)

Another consideration, If you're having difficulty getting whole groups of plants to grow and the plants are known to do well in your area, I double check to make sure they are not being planted too deeply. You also mention a hot and dry summer. As the plant's daddy, you must provide for all it's needs. You can't let them croak because of lack of water. If that's the case, it wouldn't matter what plant you install. They'd all die young if water wasn't available on time.

That landscaping in the neighborhood is so barren as a whole, it just doesn't look natural at all.

If yall can't see the fact that there are at least a couple of missing evergreen trees in all those landscapes then I am at a loss. Your backyard neighboor appears to have 5 maples with no spacing and an entire grass backyard lol

I think it funny yall are looking at perinneals when the only true problem I see is the privacy and lack of trees. Rather than focus on perinneals or groundcovers, why not go out and find a tree farm and get a couple of really nice large evergreens, like a couple of spruces, firs, hemlocks, pines, etc. Then I would plant things like a couple of holly or arborviate. To me it seems what you need to most is wind blocking "to me it looks like that backyard would get insanely cold in zn 5, and I mean insanely with that picket fence and no trees in the neighboorhood. While I like yardvarks design its pretty expensive, not saying you couldn't do it in steps, but its a pretty big job. It would be 10x easier to go get a two 10 foot large evergreen you like, pick out 4-5 smaller evergreens, like a dwarf blue spruce etc. and put those in front of the larger trees and call it a day. Not trying to freak you out or anything but almost seems like you have perfect visibility into 3-5 homes without privacy at all, the only way you'd change that is by placing two 30-40+ft evergreens strategically placed to block the sight of the neighbors houses "eventually", your lot appears to be easily large enough.

I also apologize, it was pmsmiths design. It is very similar to something I would draw up though the OP has stated he didn't have a large yard nor want a lot trees because of leaf shed with the pool. It is easy to be confused in such a large thread.

I would look into grasses and red twig dogwoods if your not big on litter in the pool, try and find stuff that will block the wind in larger evergreens and then nothing deciduous over 15 ft basically free from pool leaf litter. Thats all...

Being so far north spring and fall will take care of itself, I would focus a ton on winter windbreak and color, and recommended annuals and perineeals for summer color rather than trees to be added at a later date, it to me is essentially a blank canvas. Sure, you could do it in small parts with a lot of trees and landscaping, or you could get 2-3 evergreens that grow fairly large as a basis and get them in, then work from biggest to smallest to represent the scale of the house, thats how I would do it on a budget. You will also get the most bang for your $ that way.

The landscaping while not overly expensive isn't overly budget friendly. A Deck, mad curves, ginkgo, hardscaping around a firepit, groves of trees. I just know that the homeowner is on a budget, a few select trees in the right local may do more than anything... thats all. Yall were thinking long term "PLANS" which is totally cool. Sense I have no idea of the budget I can't speculate on guess on what the OP was saying-

OD

We want diversity in our yard and like Yaardvark previously stated, are striving for a woodsy "Northwoods" feel". The only direction we really need privacy at this point is to the north. The lots behind us have still not been developed and the neighbors to the south are older and are hardly ever outside. The river birch area will fill in fairly quickly and I plan on rebuilding the fence in the area (making it a foot talled and less space between the pickets).

To be honest, I am really enjoying the process. There is a certain level of satisfaction in planting small trees/shrubs and watching them grow and mature. Maybe that's not the most functional approach but it's become a bit of a hobby too. Anyway, we are satisfied with our progress and that's what matters most.

It's good to hear your comments and especially that you are enjoying the process. That it's become "a bit of a hobby" is an early warning sign of possible, oncoming plant/yard-improvement addiction. As the yard comes together, you may conclude it's worth investing even more $ and more time in your little spot of Paradise. There is a lot of satisfaction in creating a pleasant place to be. Hope you keep enjoying it more and more!