That sounds right. This raises some questions. Most of my parent's trees were lost to disease, wind damage, and wind-propelled salt spray. This tree was one of the few survivors. It hasn't lost any limbs. However, it's leaves are filled with tiny holes, and the web says in theory American Basswood aren't very salt tolerant. Should I plant more, or not?

Wow - that really is hard to make out! Google up Clerodendrum bungeii and see what you think. But a picture in which the plants are visible would be good ;)

Canna, I believe. Here is a link that might be useful: Canna

A few weeks ago there was a good thread on this very subject. A lot of goo d suggestions there. Take a look and see if it helps you. http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1794778/what-tree-to-plant-against-pool-no-palms?n=30 Also in the Western Garden Book, there's a section in the front with a list of plants suitable for around the pool. If you don't have this book, I'd highly suggest it. However, don't buy the latest edition. For some reason they though it was a good idea to not cross reference plants by common names in that edition, which is a stupid idea. Instead get the 2001 edition. It's available on Amazon as a used book. http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Western-Garden-Flexibind-Flexi/dp/0376039132?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00