Personally, I would move those junipers and incorporate them into the border. They are going to eventually get way too wide and take up too much of your lawn. If you are trying to create an entryway feel into that area then consider an arbor with some bushes planted on either side of it that connect to the fence bed and a planting bed along the house respectively. I would create a curve to the bed line that is no narrower than 3 feet at the absolute smallest part but I would make it much wider at the ends (front bed incorporating that tree and in the back I would make a larger bed in the corner. Play with the garden hose and lay it on the grass to get some ideas. (think serpentine) I would plant a tree in the back corner, I think you have more room then you realize. Keep lower limbs trimmed up as your tree grows so you get a nice canopy but can still move under it. I think a redbud or flowering cherry/plum would all work size wise. I would also plant a small tree off the corner of the patio, but you didn't ask about that. What is the tree up front near the fence? I also agree with dibbit about not doing the hedge row of all the same. A mixed shrub border would be nice and could give you color all year. Depending on size I would do either 1 or 3 of each as I like odd numbers. If you do three I would do them in a triangle formation rather than a row plastered against the fence. Here are some suggestions-- Knock out roses, My favorite is still the original one. Forsythia (these get rather big so only do one unless you are getting a dwarf variety, and plant it where you can let it get about 10' wide as these look best when allowed to weep) In spring my huge ball of sunshine is a beacon of spring, but then it becomes a huge green bush the rest of the summer so plant some pretty perennials in front of it. (homestead purple verbena is nice) Wiegelia (there are variegated varieties as well as dark leaved choices all with beautiful blooms) Viburnum, This is a subject onto itself, research your favorite varieties on this forum some are evergreen, but most are not. The flowers vary greatly as do berries etc. Perhaps a Little Gem Magnolia in the back corner? Indian Hawthorne is an old stand by, it is ever green and can look nice, but will never get as tall as your fence. Why not plant something to grow on the fence or on a trellis against the fence such as a clematis or Amethyst Falls Wisteria, then plant some smaller evergreens in front of it such as Helleri Holly or the Indian Hawthorne? Japanese Cleyera is another evergreen possibility August Beauty Gardenias, or some of the smaller varieties such as 'radicans' would be nice in front of whatever tree you choose to plant. If part of the border will not get too much afternoon sun then I would definitely include some Hydrangeas, some repeat bloomers such as Endless Summer or Penny Mac would be show stoppers. And what southern order would be complete without some azaleas? Again avoid afternoon sun. There are so many choices but I would work on a bed line first and start preparing the site while you decide. Look up Lasagna gardening and start prepping the site with newspaper and soil amendments so you don't have to dig up all that sod. You can spray it with round up first if you want, but it is not necessary if you put down newspaper thick enough under your amendments. the amazing thing I find is that people are often afraid to plant to much as they think it will make their yard look smaller, but it will actually do the opposite, so unless you need a certain amount of grass to have enough room for the kids playing football or something, I would take out quite a bit of that lawn. Here is a link that may be helpful. Have fun! Post pictures of whatever you choose to do. Here is a link that might be useful: creating a shrub border

"yumtomatoes isn't Gardenia a trap plant for pests? Do they harm the Gardenias as well and is the "trap plant" status just merely a deterrent so you can round -up and spray the pests?" I am not sure what a trap plant is, but I can tell you what happened to my gardenia hedges when I didn't spray them. The aphids suck the sap out of the gardenia leaves. They can't digest all of the sugar in the sap and so their excrement is high in sugar. The excrement of aphids is called honeydew. Ants love it and so it attracts ants. But what the ants don't eat provides an excellent medium to grow mold so the leaves become covered in a black mold called sooty mold. I don't think it actually harms the gardenia unless the black mold is so dense that the chlorophyll in the leaves can't receive enough light to provide energy for the plant, but it sure is unattractive. So to keep the plant attractive, you need to spray for the aphids. Also, in order for gardenias to grow in florida, they need to be grafted onto nematode resistant rootstock. But even then, over time, the root knot nematodes take their toll on the plants. The rootstock is resistant to nematodes, but not entirely immune to them.

Hi Ritholtz - Leylands are beautiful trees. If you want to trim them that short, they may be more prone to disease over time. It's better to find a plant that you can prune a bit closer to it's mature height. Maybe other can weigh in on this? Neil Sperry says never to "top" a tree. Because I read recently that Neil Sperry (or Howard Garrett) no longer recommends Leyland Cypress for Texas, I marked it off of my consideration list (arborvitae's are prone to a lot of insects?). Because of that, I am focusing more on junipers. You can google evergreen plant nursery for dimensions, "mature" rate, etc... If you are interested, I would do some further research. Last night I was looking at some videos of Wax Myrtle on youtube. I recommend checking the videos and google "wax myrtle trees" images. Yes, they do need to be pruned and trained as a tree (some people want them to grow more as a shrub). They take really well to pruning so it is possible to make them look like a nice tree. I found some really nice ones. Right now, I'm looking at the Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorne; It grows to the right dimensions, is evergreen, drought tolerant. I would have to find a larger size since it is only moderate growing... Here's what I'm doing - a combination of spartan juniper, Nellie Steven's Holly, Blue Point Juniper, Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorne, and Cleveland Pear (hardier version of the Bradford Pear - a bit larger and still very dense). I know some people hate the pears but I think they are "well-groomed" and provide good density. Cleveland is less prone to blowing over in an ice storm. Also, according to Neil Sperry, they have a moderate lifespan (25-50 years) and fast growing. In all these trees, I'm taking into consideration - hardiness, drought resistance, density (for privacy) and beauty. I've been reading Neil Sperry's gardening book to help narrow down choices; I recommend it! Hope you can find some answers!

Thanks, Katherine! Bostedo, I’m pretty sure all my yellows are New Gold (not sure what my white ones in the back are). I had planned to keep a folder with it all written down, tags, etc, because I was getting so many plants, but of course forgot to! Same as you — my experiences with Lantana haven’t always been good, but these are all very happy for whatever reason. They all get a lot of sun and heat, I’ve never had luck with previous ones getting too much shade. And I’ve had better luck with ones I get from my local nursery, rather than big box stores. These current ones were in 4 inch pots, with just a couple of long stems, and have really taken off fast. Oh, that Pampas. That pic is one I got off google, several years old. When we looked at the house for the first time, they scraped our car on both sides, and I thought ... oh, boy. These are gone first thing if we move here. It was winter, so our yard and several neighbors’ yards had shedded blades blowing everywhere. They were much bigger than that pic, I’m kicking myself for not standing back in the street to take a pic before they were cut down. Amazingly, they were cut to the ground only ... not dug up or poisoned ... and I’ve not seen a shoot yet! But trying to dig holes for my new plants was a nightmare experience, like trying to dig through wire mesh. I had some at the last house, but far away from anything. I can’t fathom someone thinking that would be a good spot for them. It was sad, though, the guy cutting them down accidentally cut a baby King snake in half, that had been sheltering under them. Poor thing. :( He was the second guy, the first one didn’t finish, said he’d be back, never showed. :D