Thanks for you responses. I've been searching for something a while but everything seems to have a big drawback. We've been looking at Japanese maples. My husband loves the red ones, but I've been warned that something like a bloodgood gets very dense and will make a lot of shade. Maybe that's not true. I had some other ideas for Japanese maples but for one reason or another they didn't seem right. Haven't heard of a Vine Maple but will look it up. My husband hates the very dissected ones, and also weeping ones. I think a small red weeping one would be great "weeping" over the row of large rocks in the foreground and will try to sneak it in if we don't get a regular red Japanese maple for the taller tree. Thanks for your compliments krycek. It took a lot for us to bite the bullet and put in an entry and new walkway. But it makes so much difference - our house was long and flat before with crumbling steps, and no place to welcome people into the home. I originally wanted a redbud but a number of people warned me that it would have to be very sheltered here and still may up and die at any time. I have a tiny one growing in the back behind the rhodies - hopefully someday it will be tall and protected. We're a ways from the coast. We have also thought about the Pagoda Dogwood. It seems almost right, but I've never seen one "live" and don't like the flowers in the pictures. Somehow if we get a dogwood I've been leaning towards something variegated (white and green) or with pink/red flowers. Probably a kousa (Satomi, Beni Fugi, Autumn Rose, Samaritan?) or the pink Rutger's hybrid. I love the long lasting flowers in June. However, I really don't know if pink or variegated make sense here. We have a fairly long list of possibilities which I'm trying to get together in one place. I'll post it here when I get it together, but wanted to just throw it out first to see what people came up with. I'm also having a hard time with size. The landscaper seems to think something bigger is better - he's mentioning things that get to about 30' tall. I'm thinking that seems too tall - and more importantly will get too wide and overtake the walkway. Some other things seem too small - I'm in love with a variegated Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun' but it only gets to 8' tall and about 4' wide.

Well, I can tell you that when well sited, well maintained, etc. fl. crabs tend to be long-lived landscape plants. Also, for you the redbud is probably fine, but just a little further north-up here-they can look good some years but have lots of winter damage other years. But again, you're more in the proper range for the redbud. I like them both but I'm kind of a crab nut, so long as the chosen cultivar has: Good disease resistance for your area, persistent fruit (for a nice, long fall/winter show), and the growth form I prefer in crabs, which is wider than tall. Can't remember the pertinent details on Prairie Fire, even given it's ubiquity. +om

now that the branches are bare.. you can track back.. by the different barks .. its annual growth rate ... i simply dont understand.. why you would waste time and money on plants that grow a foot or two per year ... and buy big size ... you could have bought this plant at 2 feet.. never in the ground.. unwrapped the potted roots.. and had the same tree in 3 or 4 years.. instead.. you lost a lot of money.. and the year ... on aggressive pines ... which all are.. but for dwarf/mini.. i just dont see where chopping off 9 tenths of the root mass.. is a favorable thing to do ... once they put out that 12 to 18 inches of growth .. from stored energy.. whats left to regrow the lost root mass???? besides.. for what you paid for this big one.. you could have to 3 or 4 prime smaller plants.. to line that driveway .... lol.. its the collector speaking there.. as i like to say.. i have more time than money.. i buy more.. small .... and brag about how many i have.. lol ... they achieve size.. sooner or later ... ken ps: this is an interesting plant.. because the leader is NOT within the dwarf growth range.. but all side branches are ... its a weirdo ... some claim its an understock issue ....

Well, after doing a bit of studying and searching, I think I know what I'm going to do. I'm thinking a 'hedge' of Simpson Stopper with either a Walter's Viburnum or a Yaupon Holly at the center. With the distances between each current spot, I should be able to put two more Stoppers half way between, making for 4 Stoppers flanking the centerpiece. The stoppers can be trained to grow from 10-20' tall, albeit slowly, so they will provide good shade against the north side of the house in the summers. The 'fun' part is I am going to try to start the stoppers from seed (already ordered some) while starting the centerpiece from a purchased plant. That would give the centerpiece a head start and help it to stand out. It will be a few years before I get the start of the effect that I'm looking for, but I'm willing to wait. I think.