And I live in Zone 5- Salt Lake City area.

I have tried to read the help page on how to post a photo. The link is broken. If someone could give me some directions that would be great.

How to post images from Photobucket:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0513322013993.html?14

When you click on "Preview Message," whatever you see there is what will show up in your post. If you want to post a photo, the photo must show up in "Preview Message" -- if it doesn't, you'll have to go back and try something else.

Similarly, if you're posting a link, test the link in "Preview Message" to make sure it works.

If you use Firefox, there is a free add-on, BBCodeXtra, which you can use to italicize or bold text, add the html to make a url into a clickable link (without using GW's "Optional Link URL" box), etc. On this site, use the "xhtmlXtra" codes.

To post a photo you must first upload the photo to an online photo-sharing site like Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, Smugmug, etc, where you have an account. They all seem to offer free accounts. (You can search Google for photo sharing.) Once you upload the picture to that account, go to the page where the picture displays. (I'm describing Flickr now as that's what I use.) There is a link to "share" the picture. Click on that link and the html code for the picture will display. Copy the code (select it and press contol C), then paste the code (contol v) in the text box where you are writing your post to GardenWeb. When you preview your message, you will see the photo displayed. If it's not there, you'll have to double-check that you've copied all of the code.

Thanks for the help!

Here is a photo of the front of my house. I am wondering if I should try to find two columnar trees to flank each side of the front window, or just go with one larger shade tree in between the front window and the smaller side one on the right. And if I do that, what shrubs to place under the window. Thanks for any suggestions--I like to hear all kinds of ideas!

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Ask at your local nursery which types of trees are for full sun in your area.

Radiant heat??... most brick veneer house probably don't have enough thermal mass to significantly measure as a heat source... also any tree should be planted far enough away from the house, so that most likely the intensity of any radiant heat will be attenuated to a safe level for zone 5 plant-life.

There's a Utah and/or Rocky Mtn forum as well, probably a good bet for getting good advice on plant/tree choices. I've no experience with your sorts of extremes to be of much help without looking it up in my reference books. Sunset Western Garden Book would also cover your zone conditions, check one out at your local library to see if you'd want to purchase your own copy. _y

Listen to isabella and bahia. They have the right of it!

Obviously, this suggestion is schematic as I can't see all the property & am making a lot of guesses. Also, this is a "bare bones". It needs more plantings to make it truly interesting. The scale is too little and too vague to work out here. Check with county extension agency on specific plant recommendations. To be sure, you also need shade trees at back, trees left side of house/drive & probably some tree form large shrubs at perimeter other places. All of this should be laid out on a plan for it to be accurately placed.

Trees 1 & 2 are a matched set of street trees. (Maybe they should match other street trees in neighborhood if they've picked good ones.) Suggestions are Red Maple, various Oaks, Ash (Fraxinus), Zelkova & things like that. If you could get a patented variety, it would definitely be worth the extra money.

Tree 3 is a smaller, flowering or character tree: paperbark maple, Eastern redbud, crabapple, saucer magniolia, Japanese tree lilac, etc.

Tree 4 is a specialty or character shade tree. First thing that comes to mind is Ginkgo. They take a while to get going, but they're worth the wait. Make sure to get a patented male variety...but not 'Sentry'. (The female variety is really not that horrible as long as it's not anywhere you'd walk on the fruit. It would be workable here.) Others might be tulip poplar, Brioti Horsechestnut, pin oak, Redmond Linden, Lacebark Elm. If you wanted a large specimen conifer here, reconfigure placement scheme.

I would probably create planted beds of low shrubs or groundcover around most or all trees.

Shrubs (green) are just to show general form.

Annuals (red)

Groundcover (blue)

Perennials (yellow)
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Thanks Yardviser! I appreciate the layout ideas, that helps me a lot!

de nada.