If you want a small tree at the right end of bed (near corner) then putting in a Hydrangea that's NOT a tree, won't work. You'll need to find another place for it. Earlier I recommended PG Hydrangea which can be grown as a small tree. Burning Bush, common Lilac or Philadelphus coronaria are other large shrubs that make good small, multi-trunk trees. For planting a large groundcover bed, you'd want to arrange plants in rows with the leading row in line with the front edge of the bed, but set back a uniform distance from it. Usually, the same spacing between plants works well as the front set back distance... so let's say for Hosta, 18". Then space them 18" apart in the row. 18" Behind that row is another row laid out in the same manner, except that you would place these plants not directly behind the first row, but offset them so that they are staggered relative to it. Continue the process until you have reached the back of the bed and filled it up. Since you are planting around trees, just don't place a Hosta where the tree is. You can come close, but not so close that you are struggling with tree roots (the tree being the Dogwood) as you don't want to disturb its ability to grow. When the Hosta grow, they will nestle around the tree trunks just fine. Though you PLAN the planting beginning with the first row, you'd actually install plants beginning with the last and work your way backward so you are not crushing installed Hosta as you plant more. That's the manner in which you'd approach laying out a normal large bed. Now let me contradict that. If your bed is only 4' deep from front to back, the above instructions would only allow you to place 2 rows in the bed. That'd work OK, but if you have sufficient Hosta and want a full look more quickly, keep the plant spacing the same, but adjust the row spacing so that you can fit in 3 rows...say each being 12" apart. (Spacing would now be 18" o.c. x 12" rows.) Whether you install whole Hosta clumps or split them up is a factor of How many you need vs. how many you have available. Split them if you're going to need a lot of Hosta or if the clumps are so huge they just need splitting.

Ppbenn, thanks for the response. Paint is so funny. I look at it and look at it...on the wall...on my painted boards...day and night. I am so sympathetic towards you for having painted all of those times in your kitchen, but I can understand the need for color perfection. The soapstone sink will be new. I got the idea to make it myself after I fashioned my own soapstone counters (with the help of my DH for the heavy lifting and strategic planning). NOBODY wanted to help me so we were on our own. I loved working on the stuff so I will make my own sink for the bathroom. I think I am a natural sculptor. After I get back from a retreat at the end of April I will start on this remodel and the sink build. The carpenter will build my sink cabinet sort of like I've drawn. I want the sink to function as a nice bathroom sink and a laundry sink. This room is a hard working room in our home. Hope it all works out. The faucet will be a Hansgrohe wall mount Montreux, in chrome. The spout actually adjust from 6-8" from the wall, which is perfect for me since I will be building my own sink and lord knows where the drain will end up :) Initially I wanted to go with brushed nickel for the warm look, but I got a good deal on the bath filler in chrome, so chrome it was. I am happy with this cause I like the shine. Here is the faucet for the sink:

Your bathroom is wonderful, newhomebuilder! I love the wall color. msrose, I have looked at Twilight Gold (only on the strip), and I think it's a little too taupe. But I may get a sample so that I can see it in the room. I have a little more time now - the contractor had to order the wood he needs for the baseboard and molding, so that and the installation of the toilet and sink are now put off for at least a week. So I will continue thinking and perhaps get a new sample or two. It also occurred to me that I might mix the Acorn Yellow (darkest board) with the Yellow Squash (peachier shade) - they are next to one another on the color strip. I'm worried that the Acorn Yellow is too pumpkin-y.

Thank you all for your input. Oakleyok, I'm trying to be subtle about the color, but I definitely am doing the blue and white. Right now I'm in love with painted cabinetry. Sorry the photos are as small as they are. I included a link at the bottom of the post which opens up the document, and then allows you to magnify it. On my computer when I do that I can even read the text. Mtnrdredux, the floor plan is totally open. It's just dh and I and we are opting for open space. There are built-ins going in on either side of the fireplace. The cabinetry will be the same blue and the counter will be the blue pearl, so it gets tied in across the great room. I still need to decide paint colors, rugs, fabrics and furnishings. This is the rendering of our long wall. I got some great suggestions yesterday on the kitchen forum and will be going back to KD today to ask to take the oven tower and bookcase end all the way to ceiling, to switch out glass front cab to right of range to a solid front, and I've decided to also have a hood cover made to eliminate that big hunk of stainless from view. This is a picture I took in daylight yest of the two countertop stones. This is a picture of the backsplash. It is a honed marble with blue stone insets. I swear I've looked at hundreds of BS tiles and mosaics. What I love about this is that it has some pattern without being all pattern, and that it is Honed - Not shiny. I've got shiny metal, shiny counters, and white cabinets. Everything including regular subway tiles were all too shiny, and I wanted some contrast. I've chosen two of these to go over the island. Yup, they're shiny! The concerns on the kitchen board were that I needed to edit, that I've got too much going on. I went back to my inspiration pics and to Houzz, and hopefully the changes I make today with the KD will make the plan a bit more cohesive.