On another thread recently, a regular poster here did a *:facepalm:* which perfectly expresses my feelings when I see "window boxes" in posts about landscaping. Honestly, spare yourself. How the heck would you water the things, and if you could they'd drip on your cars... Ditto for clematis up the posts. Very romantic - in summer - but have you ever seen clematis in winter? And they do grow INTO eaves; they do not naturally curve out and go over the roof. Ask me how I know. Blank slates, big or small, are daunting until you start fleshing out the parameters and constraints you face, which can be best done by looking really hard at function. In this case, these include preservation of sight lines, shade and sun preferences, and property lines, both on the ground and in the air. So for example, you want shade on your son's room - so put a tree in spot A. But choose a tree that does not make an overwhelming mess nor spread or seed excessively (hint to my neighbours: not a Norway Maple). You want some screening probably just at a certain spot when people are looking from a certain height to a certain height. A wall of green may not be necessary to block this - perhaps three columnar evergreens, either upright or droopy or some of each. The property line looks like it is a huge issue to me. It looks to me as if your neighbour will want to have walkable space next to that boat, and will step on your plants if they don't have it. Having had my fill of neighbour issues, I personally would either leave that area for them to do something with, or do it in flagstone with ground cover or in brick - end of story. Then it's space you can use to weed or prune your plants too. Legal issues aside, it just has to work on a day to day basis. Now, the next step is debatable depending on whether you DIY or are having this done for you. You see, a designer always has to do a plan in advance and then get approval and work to it, because the designer then goes away. If you are DIY, you have the luxury of feeling your way through this, because you're always going to be there. And plants can be moved. In other words, the designer has to get it right first time. In contrast, you get to make a few mistakes, and change your mind. Yes, it can cost an extra few dollars, but if you get it mostly right, not that much. First maybe you address a boulder(s). If your husband is a rock person, I'd go along with this, because I am one and I know that when you need rocks, you need rocks. If you don't get your rock, you suffer from rock envy, which can make a person grumpy. Go rock shopping together (or watch craigslist or your local construction sites for free ones). Next, you go plant shopping. You get a few plants. You may find tall slender evergreens among them - there are some great junipers in this category (also some great ground-hugging junipers for the front end of the driveway) and some amazing drooping spruces. You argue about where to put them, and then you go back to the nursery a few weeks later and get a few more (lots of new stock coming in through the season, don' t just go once). Then you plant and live with it. Move it around if something isn't right (in the fall, not in the summer). (It is already actually a little late to plant without being sure of watering adequately this first summer - be aware of that). You might find yourself picking up a few new plants as the weeks or months, or years, go by. In a way, though, all my advice is only going to lead you to one key realization: what you and your husband each want is not incompatible. There's plenty of room on that strip for both of you. KarinL

Looks similar to the Pink Beauty boltonia I recently planted--I had Snowbank, but in six weeks it didn't grow beyond tiny basal leaves in three different locations. I was interested to read that your Snowbank didn't do anything for a while. Maybe it's just the nature of the plant? Nothing I've read said that it takes a long time to establish, but maybe it does--I just assumed my plants were dogs. I took mine out (needed something big and fast-growing) and replaced them with a quart-size Pink Beauty (already growing well) and a couple of Eupatorium Chocolate, so we'll see.

Hi Mary. A fellow 'sconnie, Norway spruce are among my very favorite species, and yes, yours look pretty good. If you or someone you know has a pole saw, it is amazing how much of an improvement in appearance can be made by an hour or two of work taking off dead branches within reach of the tool. It's easy and satisfying work with a great payoff. Other than that, about the only possible thing that could matter to these trees at this point would be to watch for dry conditions. As you state yourself to be in zone 4, methinks you are somewhere in the northern part of our state, which is still sadly missing nearly every storm system that comes through. But........keep in mind....this may not be necessary at all and if you do decide to water these trees, you really need to water a very large area under and around them. Glad you are so interested and knowledgeable about trees and their associates! +oM

Hello from Brisbane Australia The fist picture is a Cycad commonly called cardboard plant or cardboard cycad. Sorry don't know the tree, but the last one is a caster oil plant - Euphorbiaceae. It is a weed here in Brisbane and self seeds very fast. Each of the those prickly seed pods dry out, drop and develope into another plant. Neighbour has one near the fence and I am forever pulling out dozens of little plants. Hope this helps your search. Sunshine_nelly