Make some diagrams of what you want to plant where. Observe sun/shade patterns through the year. ow do they move? Make adjustments in planting if needed. Consider hiring a garden designer from local retail garden center.

Am looking to have more flowers and less shrubs in my foundation garden so need to get rid of some of the shrubs in the bed. I'm south of Pittsburgh, PA and have two yews, 1 burning bush, and 2 junipers. The junipers were, originally, cut into that pom-pom shape but have grown out of that and are more columnar in shape. If you dig 'em up and take 'em away to a happy home, they're yours.

Dear Sue Kend Thank you very much for your inquiry. I agree with the previous personÂs answer, and so does my garden expert Susan Gruber. See her suggestion below. It is never advisable to raise the soil level over the root system of established trees. This reduces the oxygen available to the roots and can quickly kill many of the fine feeder roots. It is particularly risky with older oaks which have fungal associates (micorrhizae) that help the tree take up nutrients. They are very sensitive to compaction and grade changes. Depending on the amount of soil added, the amount of the root system covered and the initial health of the tree, the resulting stress may be minimal or fatal. Trees often look fin at first, but die over a period of many years. Others will respond better and survive by rooting up into the added soil. As an alternative, mulching the area with 3-4" of shredded bark and using plants in containers (even if they are many and large) will be neutral or even beneficial. Again, thanks for the question and let me know if you have more. Respectfully Trey Rogers, The Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor, YardDoctor.com

@hallettco @Christopher CNC it's predominantly *because* of the lack of readily available depth that the raised beds are something I am considering. The beds are definitely going to be enlarged in general but, after going largely untouched for 15 years, almost the entirety of the existing soil is densely packed and filled with the expansive and shallow root systems of palms... which have also grown around parts of a pipe system whose installers apparently decided to play it fast and loose during construction. Anyway, it would be less of a headache (and more budget friendly) to create 6 inches or so of space to put in some carefully chosen plants on top of them as well as the stump in the corner. Not to mention the extra height would simultaneously mean the things planted there would have slightly better drainage than the area currently does, at least to the point the area isn't a sad mud puddle after a few days of rain.