Japanese maples grow well in containers and prefer part-shade, particularly in the afternoons. Choose a variety that won't get too large for the best results, unless you don't mind repotting to a larger container in a few years or planting in your yard somewhere. Most of the dwarf or smaller-growing varieties of JMs can be grown in containers for years with proper care.

They said that the cost of the cage was going to be determined by the weight of it. And judging by the size of it and the thickness of the bars that could be a bit expensive. I asked them if I could just buy the top of the cage but they didn't want to split it up. Once the weather cools down some I'll go back and see if the cage is still there and if they'll be more willing to barter. I have a really neat idea in my head for some decorative fencing. They had a bunch of these large old heavy metal grates that would work well as fence panels that I thought would look fantastic with some of the big gears they had laying around welded to them. Maybe with a thin vine with brightly colored flowers crawling acoss it. It would look even better flanking an arbor made from the bird cage. I really shouldn't go to places like that junk yard. I always come away with so many ideas going through my head!

Whenever I put together a planter they never look good unless I follow the plan of Thriller, Filler, Spiller. THRILLER.................. Since you do not want anything spiky and the only thing I can think of as a Thriller is spiky so maybe go with a statue, or a small fountain in the center. https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=garden+statues+and+fountains&fr2=piv-web&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001 FILLER.................Aeonium Sunburst, Echeveria, Tri-color oblique crassula (Jade)....These are colorful succulents that you would not have to wait for flowers the plants themselves would be attractive when not in flower. In addition to colorful plant depending of what type of statue/thriller hardscape you choose should dictate what type of rocks gravel used to accent your thriller. SPILLER.......................Can be a solid green plant succulent trailer or...... CRASSULA PERFORATA "TRAILING", CRASSULA PORTULACARIA AFRA-VARIEGATA, and my favorite OSCULARIA DELTOIDES

Stacey I like a lot of your ideas and have had some of them myself! . I’d like to widen the walkway but it’s flanked on either side by our irrigation system. I’m thinking it could be cost prohibitive to adjust it, but it’s on my wishlist. We have about 8 crape myrtles in the front and back yard I’d like to remove too including the ones in the flower bed you mentioned. I like crapes typically but I feel like these have gotten too tall and they are constantly dropping bits of leaves and blooms all over the yard!