i can or could agree with you on some of the list, if you don't take care of your plants, i do have gold flame honeysuckle. i have it on an arch. every fall i clip it back to about 6" or so, and in the spring it comes right back up and just as beautiful as ever!! when we first bought our house, it had over a foot of dead vines under the live ones, i had to cut all that back, it was a real pain in the butt!!! now it looks great though, also on that arch is my orange trumpet vine for the hummers. and that one is very thick!! but it also has to be cut back. if you don't do this it all just dies for the next years growth anyhow. so i don't know why people wouldn't want to cut it back?? and severely!!! and the honeysuckle smells awesome!!! :') ~Medo

Any "GOOD" nursery will order in items that they don't necessarily carry. If they want your business they will do it for you. I have only 2 nurseries within 1/2 hour of my house and both are willing to order me native plants, shrubs and trees even though they don't carry them. It usually takes my nurseries about 1 week to get the items in from their supplier.

I would go about the planning and planting a bit differently. First of all - where are the walnut trees you refer too? You should mark them on the plan.... And, are there any other plants - trees, shrubs or perennials - already there? Do any of them need removing? (e.g. are there any invasive species that might need to be removed...?) Has the issue of water drainage from the hill and its impact on your house been addressed in the design and construction of your house and the grading of the land close to it? I would think that one of the goals of the Conservation Authority is to get a continuous, overlapping canopy cover to break the force of rain hitting the ground, to help reduce erosion and run-off. With that in mind, I would be not very worried about things being planted too close to each other - as long as they work when you consider them in three dimensions. That would lead me to start by looking for a few very tall trees. The existing walnuts would likely fit that category.... So add a few more tall trees. Then look for a few mid-height trees, and then shorter ones. Similarly, rank shrubs by height and make choices from that list. Perennials and groundcovers need to be considered too for the 'floor' level. Then think about where exactly you want privacy and place evergreens from your list there, placing them towards the outside of the space where they can get some sun. Place things that need more sun towards the edges of the space, with the tallest trees towards the centre. Do you know what your soil acidity is? That might make a difference in your plant choices, and particularly when it comes to choosing grouncover and perennials. Similarly, you will need to research juglone sensitivity for the plants that interest you. I wouldn't worry about leaf clean-up, other than any that fall on your patio etc. - and those ones I'd just dump into the wooded area! The rotting leaves will help improve soil and act as mulch for the plants. (BTW - will you be able to get a hose into the area to water the plantings in the first couple of years?)

That would have been my comment....seems much too early for swamp azalea to be blooming :-) If Rhododendron canescens is the same as Pinxterbloom, then I think you have hit it.