I like your house and I think that wall will really add to it. I would think you don't want heavy "foundation" plants as much as lighter, airy things. Small shrubs mixed in with perennials for structure would be ideal. How deep will the planting area be? Six feet plus would be ideal for putting in shrubs that can stretch out and possibly fronting them with perennials. Absolutely, I am in favor of wood mulch over stone. I think it looks better and is better for the plants. Your cool planting zone and the eastern exposure will limit some of your choices, consider some combination of these shrubs: dwarf ninebark, azaleas, amelanchier, juniper, heath or heather, along with maybe some of these perennials: dianthus, daylillies, peonies, lamb's ears, coral bells, russian sage, perennial salvia. Go to nurseries, check out the neighbor's garden, and have fun.

My garden is reachable from a fairly busy sidewalk. I mean you don't have to leave the sidewalk to access vegetables. Just after dark one night while watering, a man on a bike stopped and not seeing me, bent down and started taking tomatoes.I soaked him good with the hose...lol.

"it is southwest exposure so it gets tons of sun but its on a slight slope so it will get quite dry" Cornus kousa and Acer palmatum (or japonicum) probably won't be very happy in an exposed, full sun, dry location. Acer griseum or triflorum might survive OK if the soil is reasonable. If you're leaning toward one of these, you should also consider the hybrid griseum x nikoense - it's not as slow growing as straight griseum and triflorum, and its mature size is a bit larger. Cornus mas and officinalis are relatively tough plants that offer very early spring color. Check out the link for an article on Cornus officinalis Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Cornel Dogwood

I made a really stupid mistake, and I'm very embarrassed to have to post my experience but could use some advice (so please excuse my poor decision). I found a handyman that offered to move the red maple tree in the front yard to the back for the bargain price of $75. The only thing is that the tree had a monsterous root system, and he had to move it with his truck and a rope around the trunk. The bark scratched, which I didn't think was a big deal...and he said he thought it would be ok...until I researched on gardenweb after he left. The tree is very scratched, circling 75-80% of the tree's circumference, so it may take years, but the tree won't make it. I called him back to tell him that the tree would eventually die/break and he felt bad and offered to plant another tree for me. Last week, after my initial posting and reading the feedback, I ended up purchasing an autumn gold ginko (it's not planted yet and is actually still at the nursery). I had every intention of getting a kousa, but I'm just not seeing any that look good in the nurseries (and I've been all over in two counties). Plus I'm finding most are no-name varieties. Plus the branching structure starts out low -- just 14" from the base, so while it's a tree, it's a low branching tree (and I guess I'd prefer a higher branching tree in the front yard). I'd like to try a kousa if I can find the right spot, just not the front yard. Sorry, I'm being particular, but I'm trying to make the right decision that dh will be happy with as well. I realize that the ginko will get 40', but it's such a beautiful tree, so I figured that perhaps I would put that in the front. In lieu of what happened, and as much as I love the ginko, I'm thinking that I should plant the ginko in the back yard where the red maple (the only tree in the backyard) had been planted. I'd also like to get a Blackgum to put in the back yard (maybe next year, or this year if I can find them on sale). One of the local nurseries has a serviceberry tree that is $259 -- a nice tree, but out of the range of what I wanted to spend (I'd love to wait for them to go on sale, but I'm not sure when that will be and if they will still be around). THIS YEAR: I really need to have a tree in the front yard (part of the agreement I made with dh when I told him I was moving the front tree). Should I plant the ginko in the front yard or will I regret it when it gets too large? OR Should I plant the ginko in the back yard and get a smaller tree for the front (as per my original plan, but I just haven't found the right tree for the front in my price range). On a good note, my dh did not say "I told you so" or anything to that effect, but I do feel like I'm in an "I Love Lucy" episode at this point.