You can try Ogon Dawn Redwood and any purple leaf beech depending on your required footprint. More info is needed to really hone in but that should give ya a start.

you dont mention size constraints ... the ODR can get pretty big ...

there are purple and yellow weeping beech ... not to mention the tricolor beech ... i have a pic somewhere... lol ...

and a multitude of conifers... but i suspect hosta in this equation ... lol ...

not in your color range... the following:

google esk sunset.. not your colors.. but blimey .... but it is a fake sycamore.. not very large at all .. but i dont know if you can garden under it ...

there is also a variegated .. crike.. i blanked.... ohhhhh ..my favorite name.. liquidamber .... said in an echoing whisper ...

variegated robur oak.. sublime...

variegated dwarf elm... freakin rabbits ...

etc ....

ken

There is a design element which will get attention.

Ogon is probably the fastest large yellow I can think of. It handles snow better than some of the arborvitae which also have nice yellows.

Purple leaf plun bushes/mini trees. Beech if you have time. Thorny barberries....them interesting crimson king maples or whatever they are called now.

there is also a yellow oak.. which is not inspirational ... Concordia ... very transitory coloration ...

ken

Thanks for all the suggestions. Here is a diagram of our backyard to give you an idea where the two trees will be located. They would be going in the #7 area:

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Here a couple of pictures of the area:

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Tricolor Beech?

Thanks! Would the Ogon Dawn Redwood be too big for this location?

Also would be interested in conifer options (not worried about hostas). Thanks!

hey

there are at least 7 too many redbuds for the space given.. if each X represents one tree ...

as well as 2 too many spruce ....

and 3 large trees behind the jungle gym ...???? [thought the big red 6 might be confusing me ... is that 3 trees.. or 3 options] ....

crikey ....

if looking for individual conifer specimens.. that would be covered in the conifer forum ...

right now.. the key piece of knowledge.. you need to wrap your head around.. is ANNUAL GROWTH RATE .... every plant.. on some level has one ... and as far as trees [of which conifers are] ... they will continue to grow at that rate.. just about forever ... though they may slow down.. after you are dead ...

as an example.. see link which discusses such in regard to conifers ...

so.. if you put some unnamed species spruce on your back lot line .... and it grows say.. 18 inches per year .... then inside 10 years... it will be 15 feet tall.. and probably around 10 feet wide .... by which time.. they will be near on.. over your pool ...

which leads to the suggestion.. that your drawing is static ... your plan.. would soon be outgrown by mother nature ... unless i am really not understanding the pic as compared to the photos ....

what are the dimensions on this yard ????

as another example.. a dawn redwood.. if green.. can grow 2 feet per year.. at least ... and the slightly weaker yellow ... a foot and a half ... IMHO ... it is way too big for your yard... or perhaps a better way to say it.. is that it has way too much potential for such a small space.. considering all the other stock you want to use ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I think that yard is big enough for an Ogon and probably a regular species tree.

In the pic from the deck the yard looks huge. We just need to check the spacing between the big trees. In my woodline I have two redbuds growing three feet from eachother but I dunno. I keep expecting one to die lol.

One thing, planting them close allows a few not to make it.

PM, the tri color beech is an excellent experiment. Ken's is awsome and you are north of me where I believe they do better.

How wide is that yard btw?

Thanks Ken. The yard is approximately 85' wide by 110' deep (at the furthest point). We are going for a "north woods" feel and understand some of the tree will grow together. There are only 5 redbuds in the corner area. You are correct though, there are 3 fraser firs planted in the "Spruce" area and three trees (hickory, burr oak and red oak) planted behind the play area.

I would suggest a "Sunburst" Honey Locust and a "Schwedler" Norway Maple

What about Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'. I saw one in Chicago last time I was there. It looked wonderful. If you have Redbuds in your plan, then 'Forest Pansy' has a purple cast to the foliage.

PM--did the japanese maple I sent home with you make it? What about everything else? There is always more here. I see Kentucky Coffeetree on your plan--I have several I need to thin out.

Hi Kevin. Great to hear from you! Unfortunately the Japanese maple didn't make it. The spring I transplanted it was extremely warm if you remember (so unlike this one) and it budded very early. Then we got a frost and killed all the leaves. On a better note, everything else you gave us made it (river birch, red bud, oakleaf hydrangea, burr oak, hickory). This spring I'm looking to fill in a couple of areas and am looking for: perennials, hostas, possibly Japanese maples if the two little ones I planted last spring didn't make it, narrow upright conifers, hibiscus and potentilla. Thanks again for all the plants you gave us!

Canada Red Cherry is a smaller tree with purple leaves all summer. And birds love the fruit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Canada Red Cherry.