Bahia - gosh - didn't mean to slight you; hadn't seen your reply while writing mine (must have started mine, taken a phone call and gone back to it). I was so not speaking to your choices. We're our own worst critics and after I linked the daffodils I had the thought that 'gee, everyone's going to think I'm some little old lady gardener - just add some petunias and they'll write me off.' My own judgement - no one elses. Poked fun at myself posting daffs so folks would know I 'get' it (I like em in pots and on hillsides, agree hard to work into a home garden without it looking dated - it's partially why I like that kedron one - easier to work it in). I've been going through old gardening and design books as I plan new hardscape for the front and in looking at them I've been so aware of how quickly gardens can look dated. Modular walls fit my budget, but I know within 6 years they'll be passe and for me (and my budget) this hardscape is once. For the books that aren't that old - seems like we've gone for more space between plants and more large rocks (simplistic definition). Anyhoo, so I'm playing with the dated concept and think a dated look for most of us is about the overall plan of how plants are put together more than the plants themselves. For a green backdrop - I'd use what fits the bill AND do something interesting in a bed in front of it or add a trio of large pots with great interest in front of it - love green privacy walls but I'm not all that fussy about how they're attained. Bahia - you do wonderful work (I'd looked at your site) and I don't doubt folks pay you to do something gorgeous plus contemporary. I'm always sending folks to UCDavis for the veg gardening info - will check out their top ten. Here is a link that might be useful: mists and enchantments my blog

The fungicide for photinia leaf spot serves a protective purpose. In other words, it protects new growth from becoming infested. I'd say that the nurseryman you spoke with was being rather dramatic when he said the trees would die in several years. Here in the PNW, photinia are affected every year. And I would suspect the NW infections are more extensive thn those in your region, simply because our climate is more wet than yours. Our photinia trees/shrubs live many years in spite of the problem, although I must admit that they can look rather nasty if in a site favorable to infetion.. In OR, the suggested sprays for homeowner use are any of these: Daconil; Hi-Yield Vegetable, Flower and Ornamental Fungicide; Immunox; Systemic Fungicide (ferti-lome); or Rose Pride Funginex. Because the trees are so important to you, consider hiring a certified arborist to spray because they have equipment you don't. Look for a certified arborist in the Yellow Pages under the heading of Trees or Tree care. Companies that have a certified arborist say so in their ad. The appropriate time to spray is in early spring when the new shoots are developing. In oher words, protect new growth from becoming infected. Also useful for limiting infection are good air circulation (thinning the trees might help); keeping the leaves as dry as possible; and full sun exposure. Also remove and destroy affected leaves.

.it's a perfect example of the wrong plant being selected for the site. ==>>> not really how i look at it ... ... its more of proof that someone planted for the size it was in the pot.. and had no concept that the darn things.. never really stop growing ... frankly.. really.. kill them.. and plant your own mistake .. or ... in the alternative ... learn how to prune on it... with the understanding that if you butcher it... see above... if this were out in the back of the 4th acre out.. i would enjoy the process of seeing what i could do about this... i am positive.. i would not like a renovation project out front.. where my neighbors would mock me generously ... google this term.. for general information on the process : REJUVENATION PRUNING OF SHRUBS ... the process is general .. rather than plant specific ... and you might even find some youtubes ... properly sited.. it should have been 15 to 20 feet from the house .... ken

Looks like it had plenty of room to me. And if it's their only one - and there had been a crowding issue - they should have first looked to see if there was something not unique to their collections that could have been gotten out of the way of the photinia. I'm also thinking if they had time for things like this maybe they should have instead looked into finding out why the pieris(?) to the right of the photinia (in the preceding shot) is nearly bare, as though it has root rot. Of course, if they have knucklehead stuff like the cutting down of the photinia going on in that part of the collection somebody might also have "lion-tailed" (pruned to have mostly bare branches with little puffs of foliage on the ends) the pieris-like shrub as well. Even public gardens with large budgets and hiring-by-committee are not entirely free of a component of employees who undertake ignorant ruinous pruning operations that spoil significant specimens, commit other unfortunate acts which make them appear as though they have had no serious training in the subject area at all. Now the photinia will have no function as an example of what size and shape might be expected from a planting of this selection during a specific time frame. After it grows back up to hide the pruning if anyone ever looks up the date of the original planting and then looks at whatever size it has at that time they will be given a false impression of its growth potential.