I like the idea of removing one of the maples from the island in front but why did you add a bed at the driveway? Also I would bring the bed out to include the sidewalk and plant a small tree in front of the window to the right inside of a bed and take the bed around to the side. The overall plan reminds me of driving onto the estate in Asheville it is too formal for the scale of your lot, but hey if you are happy, go for it. What happened to the Crimson Kings I recommended? It is amazing that software companies can change the average homeowner into a landscape designer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

Thank you for your input again. Oh About Crimson Kings... A lot of plants I like are not on the software list. Neither is Crimson Kings,.. too bad. Actually, this plan is not accurate because of this reason. I could just throw in those trees or plants with similar heights or shapes. For the bed next to the driveway... I don't know..I just wanted a tree there, but it would look odd to just have one tree there. Thus, I added a bed next to the driveway. From what I understand, one of the many purposes to have a nice curb appeal is to welcome whoever goes into a house. Especially, along the driveway and the path towards the entrance, trees and plants are usually planted. That's why I put one tree in front of the left side of the house and one tree and its bed towards the exit. However, it looks just weird. I am not sure what I am doing, really

I like the driveway bed. I would only worry (if it was my yard) that I would hate to go out there and weed and water in the heat.

I might also want to stagger the trees so they are not in a straight line and not all the same variety. I often see properties where some of the trees in the line have died and it has a missing teeth look. If the dead tree is then replaced with a tiny new one it looks silly.

I have a "what's the worst that could happen" philosophy.

Curb appeal is how the house looks from the curb not how the curb is spiffed up. The most important aspect is when your company is going to the front door and how the landscape looks close up not far away. Concentrate on that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

I had a landscape architecture professor who used to say "So What?" in order to get us to tell him why we did something - well actually to get us to ask ourselves that.

Why the island floating out there in the middle of the lawn? Is it a place to have plants land? to divide the lawn area? to block a view? or that was made to remove grass from plants that were put in to serve some purpose?

I'm going to guess that it is there because you thought the space looked too empty. Planting in the middle of an open space in front of a house will make the composition fall off on both sides. It is like putting the tv in front of the fireplace in an empty room.

You mentioned that you like forests. Why not plant groupings of forest trees throughout the space - saving open area for other uses of course. You could frame views inward and outward. You would not need create big beds around them and they would not look like little odd beds that make people wonder why they are there.

Try to understand what your goals are. Then try to come up with various objectives that will get you toward that goal. And only then plan details that support those objectives.

I agree with laag.

If you like forests and woods then I would suggest you consider planting native trees in informal groupings (not straight lines): oaks, hickories, pines, serviceberries, red maple cultivars (not Crimson King, that is not native), dogwoods, redbuds, sourwoods, and of course many others. Go visit a natural area and make note of the characteristics that appeal to you. Perhaps small mossy rocks and ferns as well as shrubs would contribute to the feel of the forest.

I wouldn't have a floating island, but instead connect that island to the one by the street (a great place to plant specimen plants to intrigue those that pass by - consider Chionanthus virginicus) on the one side and to another island on the other side - so that it is more like one long island that divides two lawn areas.

The following link is to a book that I found helpful. It is old and you have to buy it used (so it is cheap).

Here is a link that might be useful: Landscaping with Nature

You expressed a desire for canopies, but your current design will only give you that along the property edge or in an island in the middle of your yard.

It appears that you don't have a backyard? So, look at using the front for other purposes by extending your tree "wall" around the front of property line. Carve out a few viewing gaps in the tree wall for curb appeal and to see if the mailman has come yet. In conjuction with that extend your foundation planting beds beyond the confines of the sidwalk.

One reason your driveway bed looks awkward is it looks as if drivers won't be able to see oncoming traffic or pedestrians.

I agree with the suggestions from others to clump trees together as they are in nature, and put a few (by themselves) in the front and side yards, not just along the edges.

If you have someone who can help -- and, even better, if you have walkie-talkies or cell phones -- have the helper wander through the yard while you look out the windows of your house. Tell him/her to stop and put a marker anywhere that you think a tree would look good...either because it blocks a view of a neighbor's house, or it's a pretty spring flowering tree that you could see from your kitchen window...

All good suggestions. The reason why I wanted to add beds was because all trees would look funny to me with the circular mulch around each of them. I thought that in overall it would look better with an uniform look out of informality. I really like the idea of planting trees throughout the spaces, but I don't want to have all the trees blocking the house, either. As you can tell by now, I am very contradictory....I like forest but still want a little formality. I don't want anything to be formal, either. I want everything likes natural and informal but within formality..... What a headache, right?? LOL

The last few posts are very good advice. Floating beds in the middle of a yard are a big NO NO unless you have a very good reason. Natural placement of trees is hard but follow the above advice and you will be on you way to a much better layout. We try to avoid any row planting when at all possilbe. If you want good curb appeal add a curvelinar bed in front of the walk to your front door that extends to the right side of your house. Check out our designs for some good ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Design Ideas

It would look less funny - in virtually every application, to not have mulch circles around every tree. :-) I've had yards where the grass grew right up to and around tree trunks, maples, crabs, other ornmentals, etc. Or where mixed tree and shrub spots were specifically designed to be grassless mixed tree and shub areas. It's a bit more of a maintenance issue to trim around things or keep edges clean, but that's part of what annual gardening expenses go for.

I suspect your rather seemingly opposite likes really boils down to wanting to be cohesive and tidy without being contrived. Trees in a row can work as a backdrop if interplanted with a variety of other trees and shrubs to give your spaces volume. Did you really want to completely screen off the property to the right - is something currently under construction there? Depending on how another house is seated, full screening might be overkill.

Your house is very nice and your design blessed you with a side load garage. I'd rethink and probably skip the planting at the bottom of the driveway - you don't want to obstruct any sight lines and it doesn't seem to have any reason for being there. I'm finding that island beds are one of the most problematic and evolutionary things to deal with - now that I'm rehabbing one myself. They're raw and sparce when first planted and the tendency is to want to fill space with something - elsewhere, you might get suggestions for benches and lighting and new paths to get you from point A to point B and bird baths and assorted water features. (Or the life sized statue of Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus". Forgive me, but oy.)

If you really must have the island bed, really think it out because you'll be viewing yours from your windows and well as from the street. Not all plants grow symmetrically, sometimes there's a good side and a bad side, and there's inevitably something that throws your design off as it grows or fails to thrive. If you're going to move the October maples, would you consider one of the Japanese Maples (Acer Palmatum) in their stead. Too common, too overdone? I don't know, many of them are quite beautiful and have exquisite branching habits. But, I can't give any plant material recommendations for your zone.

Many replies here are not favor the floating island in the center of the land. I am sure that your views make more sense. I can pick up the concept easily, since I am an artist, and in painting, we don't ever make a focal point at the center, either. However, I thought that it is a very common practice, because I have seen it everywhere. I wonder why people who build the houses doing this kind of landscape design.

Not all islands are bad. Not all islands are floating. I used the term floating because it is just out there with no context. I'm sure that you were inspired by an island or two that really looked good. Our tendency is to focus on one thing in a landscape that we like and give it all of the credit for making the landscape appealing. Then we copy that part without all of the supporting cast members and we find out that we missed something.

One could build context for the island and make it successful, but you are struggling with the initial design, so it is probably better to walk than to run at this point.

Can you stand two more cents worth , chueh ? As a garden designer I find the plan way too fussy and it detracts from the beauty of your house.

But first things first : before planting anything you need to deal with the soil issues or whatever you plant will not survive, just as your grass has not.

A good way to do this is to have raised beds or berms ( 12 inches deep is ideal )formed with a good garden mix soil that can usually be purchased in bulk . This will eventually work its way down into the clay and loosen it.

I would suggest one large shade tree on the right side of your house ( not too close -20 feet is usually the norm ). Try to pick something native to your area that way it will also be trouble free.

At the point where you have the red maple in front of your house I would create a curved bed that would swing to the right side of your house and go all the way down to where the driveway ends. If you turn your drawing sideways the curve would look like a large U-turn. Inside the U-shape I would put about 4 to 6 inches of good top soil and sod it. Having the lawn surrounded by higher beds creates immediate interest.

In the raised curved bed at the driveway entrance I would plant drought-tolerant evergreen shrubs, perennials and colorful annuals. Their selection would depend upon your sun/shade.

Continuing up the curve bed on the right, I'd do plantings of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and perennials all the way up to the shade tree. Closer to the right side of your house I would add a grouping of understudy ornamental trees ( dogwood, redbud, etc. ) or large blooming shrubs.

In the curve from your home's entrance I would do some natural ornamental grasses, sedum, daylilies and the like , depending again on your sun/shade.

On the left side of the driveway I would do a mixed planting of small ornamental trees, shrubs and perennials, all again as drought-tolerant and natural looking as possible.

Even though you have a small lawn the natural flow of the plantings around it will not look contrived.

Hope this will help.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Home and Garden Chicago