Yeah, the old bushes were a little too high. We were thinking some boxwoods to go with some hydrangeas? Something with some color to hopefully pop against the darker porch and dark mulch. The original space in front of the porch was pretty deep. I'm guessing almost 5'. Does it need to be that deep? Also, when I add the mulched area around the sidewalk, how deep should that be? I was thinking 1.5'? Is that enough room to add a few small bushes?

It helps to have some personal experience with a different climatic zone and its plants/trees when discussing the pros and cons of how to use them and the extent of maintenance one is contemplating. I'm 100% in agreement with Maria on the preference to work with nature and choose plants that can be left to do their thing rather than fight them constantly by trimming and pruning. It helps to know that low dense canopies for desert trees are a natural response to conserve soil moisture and a reaction to climate and periodic strong winds. Limbing up such trees would require annual thinning, and may also destabilize them in high wind situations if the additional height catches the wind more. I fully realize that Yardvaark has a preference for limbing up all trees as well as controlling for height, but most homeowners don't want the work or expense, and should appreciate comments from someone who knows the trees and their habits, and points out the pros and cons. Other posters like to dig their heels in and make the case for why they are right, or how their approach works well if one is willing to do the constant ongoing maintenance. A difference in philosophy about gardening with nature or preferring to subjugate it... If one is going to propose higher canopy shade trees for such a garden, it would seem to make much more sense to suggest taller growing trees with higher canopies that wouldn't require the constant pruning. Trees such as Ulmus parvifolia might be one alternative, or an evergreen such as Pinus eldarica, or palms such as Brahea 'Clara' or Brahea armata. Some of the evergreen Sonoran/Chihuahuan desert species of Acacias might also be worth looking into for narrower canopies and taller habits. Ultimately I'd agree with Maria that the amount/type of trees as shown in the plan would completely obscure the view of the house from the street, and could be cut by half. If the OP wants full shade across the whole yard at maturity, all those full sun plant choices will need to be replaced with shade tolerant plants at 5 to 10 years out. I'd think the OP would appreciate these sorts of comments on their design as presented and come to their own conclusions about degree os shade/coverage desired and amount of maintenance required before they finalize their design. From people who have actual experience growing the plants in question in a similar environment, rather than a discussion about semantics and discussion about how trees and plants are meant to be subjugated to design philosophy of man over nature. It's one thing to do that for yourself, another thing altogether to recommend it as an approach for others to follow. It takes time or money and certainly extra sweat and fuel and dump fees to constantly trim trees and prune back too fast growing shrubs that the design improperly spaced. More economical and sustainable to pick the right plant for the right spot, and minimize the maintenance to keep it all looking good...

The best view of the pond will be out of the kitchen window, the library window, and the upstairs window. Indirectly, you will be able to see water from the living room, through the archways that frame the 3 French doors (which will be mostly glass). We intend to use the front porch in the early evenings, the sun will be behind the house by then. There will be no wood ducks. The dogs that I mentioned earlier in this thread are actually highly trained hunting dogs and they wouldn't allow it. We have seen a bald eagle a couple times, if that counts... EDIT: I forgot to address the pond. There is an artesian well that runs 24/7 that keeps the pond full. It was drilled 400 ft deep nearly 20 years ago (not by me of course) and has run non-stop since then.

Thanks for the questions. We like the size of our current patio for a seating group. We want two more areas of patio. One for dining which will need to accommodate a 8' circle to account for current table and chairs. we would like an additional lounge area uncovered that would have room for a portable fire bowl. Location of grill is good point. My husband likes that the grill is currently under cover, so an umbrella over the grill and possibly an umbrella over the table could be desired for additional cover, but nothing more permanent than that is needed. 350-400 SQ feet is what I am currently thinking but we might be able to scale back to 300. Kids are currently 4 and 8. Right now we are thinking a 5' tall climbing dome, or some other portable play structure. We would also consider a shed that could be used as an art shed or hangout for when kids are older or gone. Fencing is a concern. Deer is a problem and we would like to add a gate to the back fence as there is trail access. One side fence is ours and the other is not. We need to talk to neighbors before deciding on type of fence. Privacy currently is not an issue, but would be nice if we could swing it. a tall semi open deer fence is something we are considering. In the idea of simplifying, if the new patio we're all on level would it be easier to start with a step down from the existing patio and then level to grass, or level from patio and then a step down to grass.