Here is an album with a bunch of pictures taken all around the house. It looks even worse than I thought once I stepped back and took it all in. ROFL!

Advice gratefully accepted, and any hints on the identity of the mystery plant much appreciated. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Yard Too Full of Shrubs

Depends on your point of view offlead. To my eye, used as I am to UK gardens which are usually very green and very full your garden looks absolutely fine! Maybe a little trimming around the windows and on that corner with the holly but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe put in some MORE plants, especially to hide that metal railing. I find that most of the pictures of gardens posted on gardenweb look rather blobby to me with plants forced and chopped into unnatural shapes and plonked into beds with lots of empty space around. I like things full and luxuriant. There seems to be a bit of an obsession with pruning and control on this forum. If there's soil showing there's not enough plants :)!

Oh, I don't want bare ground. *G* With the shrubs my main concern is healthy plants, which is why I'm seeking advice. I want them filled in as a hedge, I just want them below our window line (which is about 2 feet up from the floors inside the house, and between 3-4 feet above the ground outside the house). I don't at all want separate little planted shrubs isolated from each other. But I think the ones that are nearly 20 feet tall are a bit extreme. ;-) The front fence hedge would do well at 4 feet, but I really dislike the photinias. I am new to growing things in the Dallas area, however, and am not sure what would do well in this space, fill in well, and be healthy.

That railing in the back will go away. I don't even know why it was ever put in. The walkway there is very narrow, not even 2 feet wide (poured sidewalk). If I remove the railing, and the shrubs that exist in spots in the back, then I think it would be easier to move down the path. We'll put smaller plants in those beds I think. The sides and front of the house would look great with the hedges if they were more under control. I'm just not sure the best way to get that control.

Our neighborhood is full of photinias. They're everywhere. I find them to be not terribly attractive even when they're healthy, and most don't seem to be healthy. I'm seeking a good replacement for them.

I'm very sad about the dogwood though. It was quite pretty there in the middle of our front yard, but the top few feet started to die last year, and this spring the top 2/3 is dead. We'll be cutting it down some time in the next few weeks.

I have some huge beds to work with also, but that's a whole other headache and huge set of projects. *G*

My approach would be quite different from flora's :-) Too often do I see or am called in to consult on homes with landscaping that has outgrown its size and placement or with plants that have suffered from too many years of neglect. These do nothing to enhance the property and attempting to rein these plants in or otherwise bring them back to a suitable size and/or pleasing shape is a very frustrating and time consuming exercise. And sometimes just simply doesn't work. Why put up with the ongoing incovenience of a misplaced, large growing shrub like the holly, when replacing it with something more suitable both in scale and appearance is an alternative?

Chaotic, overgrown or neglected gardens are often best helped with the input of a professional landscape designer. A consultation or even a plan may be a very worthwhile investment to help you determine a) what everything is; b) if its health and size warrants retaining; c) if the location makes sense; and finally, d) if some other approach makes more sense altogether. Often, with a sound, well-developed plan in hand, the prospect is not so overwhelming and the activity can be easily prioritized to fit your time and budget.

Too often we are lured into the belief that existing plants in a garden must remain in place or somehow be incorporated into our own, personal vision of the landscape. While I do not necessarily advocate a "clear cut" approach, removing everything and starting over from scratch, approaching this with a much more objective eye and with what you envision for the long term development of your garden may be a better thought than simply attempting to "control" what you currently have, which obviously is not working for you. A professional can certainly expedite this process.