I don't mean to scare you. When I read your original post, it sounds like you had a vision near the bottom where you itemized 1-4. One and two sound like you had a comfortable direction. The post seemed like you worked together with the landscaper to form a "vision" and then started implementing it. It now sounds like it was much looser than that, so there is a difference and with that difference there is reason to believe that you can have better results. You asked if I am a design professional. I am a registered landscape architect. "However, you scare me a little bit, Laag....as a novice gardener I wouldn't expect that the execution would be immensely difficult. Depressing to think that a lovely plan on paper could be spoiled in the brown-thumb hands of the wrong person." Implementation of landscape plans is actually highly variable. A layout plan of plant placement may not be that way so much, but you have a lot more in the mix than plant placement. You have topographic changes which brings a third dimension that spurs off a number of other issues. Sticking to just the aesthetic parts of those issues, you have the steps, terracing, retaining walls, and how the elevations affect how the plants visually interact (which is very different than if they are in a flat plan). A very good design can be drawn that takes all of this into account. But having that good design does not get you out of the woods just yet. The execution is very dependent on the ability of the person to layout the plan. It is much more difficult to do on varying terrain. That is not really easy for people who do it all of the time and is quite difficult for someone who has never done it. That is an area where a good plan can be horribly compromised in the implementation. Let's say that both the design is good and the layout is done accurately. Now we have the sculpting of the terrain to deal with. This is not easily drawn on a small scale plan with contour lines and very difficult for inexperienced people to convert from lines on a piece of paper to the actual contour of the ground, so a lot may be left up to the person doing the work to try and make it work. Let's say that is done well. Now you have the actual construction of the steps. You may have some well drawn construction details that show you what needs to be done, but a lot of garden designer's are not experienced in drawing up construction details and the added ability, time, and liability would drive the design cost up. But let's say the designer has provided good construction details. You still need the skill set to build them. Some things are fairly simple to do such as forming and pouring concrete. But putting together a stone wall takes more than being able to read a construction detail. It takes real skill. It is true that a not all walls have to be masonry masterpieces, but there is a point where rustic crosses the line to crude. Crude will detract from the intent of the plan. Let's say that the skill set to build the walls and steps are good. Now we can move toward planting. A #5 Nikko Blue Hydrangea might be called for on the plan. If you call three nurseries and have them each ship you one, will they all be the same? I can tell you that it is unlikely that they will be based on my own experience. This means that selection of a nursery can impact the implementation. Let's say you have found a good nursery. Now, plants are living things and they are handled at nurseries. This means there are variations from one plant to another. Someone has to know which plants are the healthiest, the right shape, and otherwise the best choice for this particular job. This does not mean that any other #5 Nikko Blue is not going to work, but it does mean that it adds a quality variation in implementing the plan. Let's say that we are able to do this very well. Our land form is shaped, steps and walls are well laid out and well crafted, and our beautiful plants are on site. Now there is the digging of the holes. Some will make them bigger and some will make them smaller. Some will amend and some won't. Some will amend with xyz and some with abc. Some will bury them 2/3 and then water them in and finish burying them after the water subsides. Others won't water them in at all. So, yes, implementation of a plan can take a great plan and turn it into a lousy landscape. ... or not.

Isn't it wonderful to inherit mature camellias on your property! It sounds like you are doing pretty well with rejuvenating the hedge, based on another post where you mentioned a heavy pruning, good work. If the plants are all of the same variety, I would fill the gaps with the same if you can find it, or do some airlayers on the existing ones and plant them in the gaps. I like the effect of massed plants of the same variety in bloom. On the volunteer, if it is that small, and you can get all the root and keep the ball totally intact, it can probably be dug, but this is really not the best time to mess with a camellia's root system during the growing season. Safer to wait until dormancy if the neighbor will cooperate. I have a few small seedlings popping up, and am waiting. The upright grower -- if that is its natural growth habit -- won't change with pruning, it will grow upright again. Check those others in the neighborhood and see if they are upright also. If so, you will have to get used to it, but if not, then pruning may make a leggy plant more bushy and spreading.

I have a yellow hibisvus that is about 6' high. It came with the house. It was very full, but bloomed poorly. It was blown over and nearly uprooted by Wilma. Propped it up and it finally grew again. Early this spring I pruned heavily. I left the original height, but severery opened it up, pruned all old growth, dead branches and branches that crossed. I cut all the tips to promote branching. The poor thing looked pretty bare. It is now leafing out, growing new branches and blooming quite nicely. I did the same to the weeping pink hibiscul and it really helped rejuvenate it. Hibiscus is not afraid of the clippers LOL. Jo

Pv, I don 't protect them. I know it probably would help against the drying winter winds, and I live in a particularly windy spot on a hill. But I just can't do the physical work of covering, etc. anymore. Your situation of having healthy plants, but losing buds, is typical in our borderline hardiness areas, because although the plants can survive, the buds, which form by the fall and have to sit out the winter, are often damaged by harsh winter weather and will just die and fall off and not produce flowers in spring. That's why I suggested taking a look at the many fall-blooming types that are available. Since the buds form and bloom in the warmer months, there is little danger of bud damage. Most of those will bloom in October or November in zone 6.