Not to dwell on it, but "around it" is different than below it. No claim can be proven on a forum without clear, indisputable evidence. ("Trust but verify") To demonstrate your point, submit a picture of an adult standing erect next to the tree with their head no farther than 6" away from the trunk. (Their face does not need to show.) When seen, it will believed. Post the picture directly into the thread, not a link. Take it from the same vantage point as this picture. If you don't want to trim the tree ... don't. There will be a consequence for no one but yourself.

Hi melliemelo, hubby and I have owned a landscape business for almost 20 yrs, so I've seen a lot of designs over the years. I'm not a designer by any means, but my first thought was you need some "curves". Everything looks very squared off. Since all homes are basically square, the curves of landscape beds seem to soften it and give it more "personality". I can see an arc shape working well on the right side, plus maybe adding a tall shrub, dwarf ornamental tree or evergreen in that corner. (an arc shape is easier on the mower-man than too many curves!) You are so far from my zone, I'm not knowledgeable for your area. I'm just thinking you need some height in that area. You really have no foundation to "hide" in the front. Have you considered a low growing groundcover in front of your porch? I really can't advise specific plants for your region because I'm no expert in that field, but we have used Verbena 'Homestead Purple' in our beds and I loved it - along with the butterflies! The foliage is pretty and it have beautiful deep purple blooms all summer that the butterflies will swarm. Maybe any type of low growing flowering ground cover would fill in the area in front of your porch since you don't have the height of a foundation to hide with shrubs. The bonus would be to use something that would attract butterflies. The Verbena didn't seem to attract bees like some nectar plants do. I'm such a visual person, it helps me to drive around and take pictures of other houses' landscapes that look interesting. Maybe that would help give you some inspiration? Then a knowledgeable person at your local nursery could help you choose the correct plants. You might consider how much upkeep you are willing to spend when choosing your plants. Anything with 'dwarf' in the name will maintain it's size without becoming overgrown. Keep in mind your new landscaping will look sparse when newly planted because you have to space enough to allow for growth. It's fun to take pictures every year to note your progress. I agree with everything that Frankielynn said! Your front bed should extend all the way to your sidewalk without the grass strip. And when you redo your sidewalk in the future, I would suggest softening it a bit by giving it a curve instead of the sharp corner where it leads to your porch. I love plants that bloom or change color in the fall, but then again, we don't have the same seasons. LOL. I'm sorry I haven't been much help with specific plant recommendations, but I hope some general tips helped!

Absolutely. Leaf-footed bugs are not your friend. If you learn to recognize and kill them while they're young, they won't live long enough to do a lot of damage in your garden. I'm going to link a page that has a photo of the immature leaf-footed bugs in the center near the top of the page. When you see a bunch of little bugs like that clustered together, they generally are leaf-footed bug nymphs and you're doing your garden plants, especially tomato fruit, a big favor by killing them all. If you see a similar-looking bug that is alone on a plant, that usually is the nymph of an assassin bug/wheel bug that is beneficial. I always leave the lone ones alone because they're the beneficial ones, but I kill the ones I find in clusters. Usually I start seeing the wheel bug and assassin bug nymphs in May, but I usually don't see leaf-footed bug nymphs until June (or even July in a really good year, and this was not a really good year). With pests like squash bugs, stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs, I try to kill all the young ones I see early in the season in order to keep their population growth slowed down. Stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs are incredibly damaging to tomato fruit, and you know what a tomato maniac I am. I'll share my garden space with lots of pest insects and leave most of them alone, knowing the good garden helpers like toads, frogs, lizards, birds and beneficial insects will get them, but I never miss a chance to kill a squash bug, stink bug or leaf-footed bug. Leaf-Footed Bug Info

I used rocks for a border once and they were a pain. I liked the look but weeds were a problem - and you couldn't mow real close to them. I really think mulch can make a nice border. If you make a edging trench... just a shovel, step and pry to one side .... fill the trench with mulch- the trench holds the line. You can run your lawn mower right over the mulch edge to get the grass that grows there. The biggest draw back with mulch is that it has to be re-applied as it decays. But for a "natural" look, I'd have to say mulch is probably the easiest to deal with. The next best alternative to mulch edge is those plastic edging borders. They need to be re-stepped in every year because of frost heave, where I live. My neighbor uses them and they aren't bad and barely visible... gives an easy edge to mow right up against. They make black which is probably the most inobtrusive color, but I believe there are other colors and patterns one can get now also.