It sounds like budget will keep most things from happening, but at least you can have goals and get to what you can. Trimming of trees is a lot easier/less costly if one keeps up with it and ANTICIPATES what's to come. 1.) A branch that's 10" in diameter is hard, time consuming and troublesome to cut. That same branch was once only 1" in diameter and could have been removed in about 10 seconds. 2.) As branches grow longer and thicker they hang down further. So branches that are only 4 or 5' off of a roof now, will be resting on it in a year or two. 3.)There's a store of energy in a tree that is in relative balance between foliage and roots. When the roots contain a surplus of energy relative to the foliage, the foliage will have a growth spurt. (For example, if one cut off all the foliage, the tree would have a major growth spurt. I'm not suggesting do this.) However, the growth spurt will most likely not to be channeled into what was cut... but in what remains. Therefore, A tree can be shaped much better, faster, and more efficiently (less waste of the stored energy) if it is pruned judiciously right along from babyhood. The wrong way is to let it get too out of bounds in places and ways it shouldn't, and then try to fix it long after it was needed. I understand that you are using the maple tree to solve a problem, but it looks like a case of using a hammer to kill mosquitoes. Why not consider some sort of screen close to, and wrapping the corner of the lot that will obscure traffic? It could possibly be combined with fencing that was mentioned earlier. I'm thinking along the lines of lattice or some kind of grill work with wines growing on it or some such thing. There's lots of possibilities. Just a thought. Hopefully, you don't want to grow the globe arborvitae as two separate balls. The house does not seem to be asking for any. I'd move the right-most globe leftward, as shown, to at least give these hope of growing together. The Euonymus coloratus is the shaggy reddish plant. I'd move it over to the Maple and start making groundcover out of it. I've marked up one of your pictures to suggest a bed line. And to show where you should have pruned the Maple.

It's like there here in North Georgia too. Probably not as hot (we rarely get to 100) but usually don't get that cold either. This winter was particularly bad. I had an arborist out to my home today to check on a dying pine tree. While he was here I showed him my cryptomeria and he said it was cold damage. Also I had 3 mini boxwood that died over the winter. I thought it was because I pruned them incorrectly last year, but he said it was the cold winter and that many strands of boxwood had the same thing. He also said that they are not dead and if I cut them way down, they would regrow. Hardiness zones are great, but mother nature doesn't have to pay attention to them.

Okay so I didn't actually *need* any more roses.;) But that didn't stop me from ordering. Figured I've ordered from multiple vendors this year, and I really ought to support Heirloom, as they've always sent me wonderful plants in the past, and I want them to stay in business. Also I really like their firm and vocal stance on rose mosaic virus. In addition, I've bought some really big plants already this year. First from Antique Rose Emporium. That has meant digging fairly large holes. Then I have been getting LOTS (like yikes maybe 30 or so) from Eurodesert, and those plants are enormous, which means digging even larger holes still. So the idea of getting bands where I wouldn't have to expend that much effort in the planting has a fair amount of appeal. Plus one of my flower beds hasn't cooperated as expected--as in the flowers haven't died back as I assumed they would, and they are so pretty I don't want to disturb them with digging giant holes to put in roses, so that means I just have to get smaller roses, which can go in without losing the other plants. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!;) I ordered: Stanwell Perpetual (okay so I already have SP, but you can never have too many of this wonderful plant with its elegant, fragrant flowers!) Irish Hope (looks like a pretty, lemony white on HMF) Paul's Himalayan Musk (I have a 50 to 60 foot tree in the backyard that I think would look great with this rose cascading out of it, and PHM is known as a tree-eating, house-eating rose, well here's its chance!) Happy Child (I'm a sucker for David Austin's and this one is so cheerful looking....) Melissa

Hi again -- Lucky you, that's so easy to work around! With your shade of blush, I love the type of muted colors that Terrilyn posted above in her florals example. Obviously test away, but for me B&W and navy work better with brighter pinks. Since you like the idea of deep blue, I'd consider testing a rich indigo, dark slate blue, or, if you want to go brighter, what I think of as "Southwestern sky" along the lines of this: Here are a few more ideas, but they might be too muted for you. Some other deep blues/ purple-blues (and a soft vintage yellow) Pewter and cloud grey Muted red-violet/plum (see bottom right) or milk chocolate