I my area Alberta's seem to always get dead spots on them eventually and why I have steered clear of them. Big Maples can look nice, but I wont risk getting one with those awful helicopter seeds...lol..I dont want 1000's of maples. I have an Elderberry and in bad winters they will die to the ground. BUT THEY GROW LIKE A WEED! Just like a Butterfly Bush. Mine every year gets over 6 foot tall no matter what. I wouldnt suggest it for your front of your home with how well structured you have everything. I am sure you will be dissapointed in it. I enjoy mine located in the back yard and gets a ton of sun and has the room to do whatever it wants. Might also constantly reach for the sun out front, would be my guess. I have a smaller variety of dark leaved ninebark that gets about 5 foot tall. Sorry I am not sure what type it is, but I know it is not a diablo which I believe gets bigger than mine. I have never had a mildew issue with it, but could be due to it gets alot of evening sun also. I think it could be a good choice for that spot along with the smaller variety of dark leaved weigela you have mentioned. My final comment would be to consider a laceleaf weeping Japanese Maple for that spot if you are looking for that color scheme. But looks like it could be a little tight for that spot and you might have to make that spot a litte wider from the house. BTW everything looks great!!

the trouble with these choices are that there are many right answers! You have to develop an "eye" to what looks good to you. Fortunately plants are pretty portable. You can try things and move them if you think they don't work. I think the 3 grasses will be great for the height and the window well coverage. But I'm not sure if there is enough sun for them. Your other choices indicate a lot of shade. If the grasses don't work out, you can try Northern Sea Oats for a grassy tall plant that doesn't need as much sun. One thing that my eye wanted to see was a graduated layering of heights between the burning bush and the hosta. But it could just be cause they are still so small. when the hosta get bigger, it will be better. I would have planted at least 3 hosta together and I would have picked contrasting, but complementary, foliages. It looks like the two next to each other are similar foliage. If you want shrubs, I would plant a cluster (5?) of the same shrub around the base of the tree. Maybe azaleas or dwarf pieris or russian cypress or ...? What kind of tree is it? Maples don't usually provide a good planting area for companions. Some daylilies somehwere in front would be nice to echo the grassy foliage effect in the back. You may want to come up with something that spills over the top of the wall a bit to soften the look. Good Luck! Looks like a fun project

I must admit that while I appreciate Spring as the poetic season of renewal & hope, etc. it's never been my favorite time of year. I'm a native Californian and Spring in New England has always seemed cold & raw to me. I expect my bulbs to be in bloom in March and to be in a Tee & sandals by Easter and, of course, that's silly here. But, this year...while we've had our share of blustery, cool days my garden also has been a delight. Last Spring, I remember missing my azaleas bloom due to cold, rainy, raw weather. This year, it's only the first week in May and I've been gardening for six weeks already. Yesterday, as I was walking thru on my morning tour...the sun was peeking through a heavy cloud cover and highlighting the pastel blue woodland phlox in full bloom under my electric pink 'Olga Mezzitt'. It took my breath away. I stopped, stared and thought...Wow, that looks like a picture from a glossy magazine! Then, last night as I was waiting for my hubby to get home...I was taking my evening stroll through the garden and enjoyed a similar experience. The setting sun was almost entirely blocked by what I refer to as a "Mystic Pewter" sky. But, through one hole in the gray cover a ray of sun was hitting the Jap. hakone grass hedge that is surrounded with one of my carefully tended moss gardens. The interplay of light, texture, & color was breathtaking. I often wonder if non-gardeners ever stop and just appreciate the beauty that plants bring into our world? I ask because yesterday afternoon I walked over to our marina to visit with friends arriving at their boats for the weekend. We have just purchased a new-to-us boat & will be making the passage up from Annapolis beginning May 22 so we were talking about boating, in general. My friend, Linda, seemed almost angry with me when I mentioned at the end of our conversation how much my husband and I were enjoying our new gardens. She said something like, "So, your garden has priority over your boat?" I was dumbstruck...didn't know what to say. I responded with..."No, Linda...it doesn't have priority over the boat. We love both. Choosing would be like asking me to choose between my piano or my painting. I love both of those, as well." While walking home from the marina, I was wondering if she even saw the beauty in a garden or if all she associated with was as she called it...the "work" of a garden. We don't consider it work. Time-consuming...yes...but work...No! It's a pleasure to tend and reap the rewards of our toils. Her husband will "work" on his boat all weekend and consider it a hobby but my gardening is just "work". Bah, humbug! Last Sunday, our dockmaster Russ...stopped by with a division of his pink peonies saying, "I noticed you haven't planted a peony yet" pointing in the direction of an empty spot, "and I thought this was a perfect spot." I was THRILLED. There is no better gift for me than a "from my garden to yours" present. We immediately planted our shared peony in the exact spot he suggested and I'm looking forward to enjoying not only its blooms but the memories of a friend's sharing for years to come. Some people just don't seem to register the more esoteric parts of life...as my friend Linda demonstrated. She just doesn't "get it". I feel sorta sorry for her. IMO, she's missing something so beautiful about life as the season's progress. She would, I'm certain, think I was batty if I mentioned the appeared delicacy of a poppy bloom fluttering in the wind yet spoke of its strength and endurance.

Erin I will say I got rid of my maple and planted a crab apple....so far my plants seem to be thriving but I'm not sure if that's due to the maple being gone, or all the rain we've got here this season...regardless I'm happy it's gone. I hated that tree because it aside of having a mature tree where everything else are babies it did nothing for me. No esthetics, no real shade, nothing. The leaves were purple but always looked brown to me...and then they'd just turn really brown and die in the fall...so no pretty fall foliage either like you can get w some maples. So yeah I'm not much help, but I will say just be careful with what you decide to plant near it.