Ok, it was a disaster. Thanks for the extra tips, I like the daylily suggestion. I have coreopsis in there now but I think it just reseeded and not too dependable in my area it seems. We had a couple of years of wicked cold winters and the boxwood was nearly taken out, but I just keep reshaping each year. I just started pruning the little "tree" this year which is actually a shrub, to give it a trunk. I'm glad I posted again, great to get some feedback. Yes my neighbors like it, I have had many comment on how good its growing in. Thanks!

Nice to see a follow-up! Much appreciated.

Oh cool, thanks for posting an update! Huge difference, it looks great!

If you're interested, Katrina, here are a few suggestions for tune-up goals.

Remind us what part of the country you're in.

What is the groundcover ... Vinca minor? It looks good and well managed. The Hosta looks good, too. I'm sure it will look great as it enlarges and the tree grows.

Wow that looks great! Thanks for the visual. This gives me a good plan for the shaping, and I really like the look of the color on the left side of the house too. I hadn't thought of that. The groundcover is vinca minor, it took quite a while to fill in, and didn't look very good for a few years, but I know you have to have patience with gardening. My zone is 5b. Thanks again yardvaark for your help, I so appreciate it, and this picture and comments help very much.

You are welcome! Looking forward to any future updates.

As a fellow HO, I want to compliment you on on this. It looks fantastic....actually, it looks so good it could be an artist's rendition! I love vinca minor; it doesn't grown vertical and allows spring bulbs to grow through it.. Plus, it has pretty bonus flowers in the spring. this is a great example of how a little proper landscaping can totally transform a space. Kudos to you for actually following through on a good plan.

It looks nice and is good to see an after photo. Especially like that nothing protrudes above the deck floor now. It looks low maintenance, is it?

Vaporvac-thanks!!! I do like the purple flowers in the spring, it also flowers later in the season. It has naturalized here and grows in many parks.

emmarene-the vinca is the most maintenance, but as its gotten thicker it has prevented more weeds from getting in, although I still pull some out. I maintain the edge occasionally because its a fast grower. I dug a small trench around it that I filled with mulch to create a separation from the grass and the vinca and I maintain that edge. Also I have read that it needs cutting back occasionally to stay healthy, and the best time for that is early spring. I read you can run it over with a mower to trim it but I haven't tried that. The rest is low maintenance, I shape the shrubs and tree-which is actually a shrub, as they grow. Thanks for your comment!

Preen, a pre-emergent herbicide is a great help for the new groundcover beds, especially prior to the plants filling in. In my experience, the first application should be a little heavier than the directions say, or a second application should come a little sooner, in order to get good control of the sprouting weeds. With periodic applications (per directions) a LOT of hand weeding can be eliminated. Of course, it will not get rid of any existing or perennial weeds. As the groundcover fills in, the need for Preen will become less and less.

Great tip with the Preen, I think I only need it towards the edge now, I never used it but it would be a great help for the new bed. Yardvaark, if I am still at this house and you are still online here, I will post again after there is some growth, I really appreciate the feedback and the guidance.

I am happy to give it to someone who does such a good job at following directions!

Edited the drawing (above) to add a little more pizzazz ... a possible place for more color and some daffodils.

Just noticed the edit, that additional color does make a difference. The daffodils would be great in the spring, the planting pattern is so different from what I usually see, I really like that, following the curve like that . Something on the left side of the deck would be nice for color too, without adding much time to maintain. Yardvaark, I would never think of those things, I thank you so much for the time you took to do that and for your expertise. I hope I can get it looking as good as your diagram. I am thinking I can lay a garden hose out to make the curves?

The garden hose will be helpful in order to define an edge. Most of us in the biz use upside down marking paint, but it's barely worth bothering with considering that you are mostly done.

I'm glad for you to notice that the "planting pattern is so different" from what you normally see. Though I would consider the sum total of what is there to be "basic," that does not mean it is common in today's world. Again, you are welcome for the time and suggestions.