Hot afternoon sun is problematic. Here in my area (zone 7a, central Delaware) nandina would thrive in this placement. Camillia would be doomed. Hollies, boxwood, pieris, all are good shrubs which will perform adequately in afternoon sun. Where are you in Georgia? Georgia ranges for zone 6b to 8b, I believe. This is a big range. You have an automatic sprinkler system? How often do you turn it on and for how long? For shrubs, once established, an infrequent but deep watering is preferable to frequent shallow watering which would promote surface roots and lead to drought intolerance. Improper watering can contribute to difficulty with shrubs. Pictures are most helpful. Christine

Agreed, you need a few trees. The plan and pictures together help make the existing space and elements comprehensible. But the plan geometry needs some work. There doesn't seem to be "theme" running through it. Below are some rough suggestions of how you might lay out. The corner is too important for planting to put the trampoline there so I've moved it. I would think all the trees would be fairly small, some narrow, some cone-shaped evergreens ... whatever works the best for a particular spot. Small trees are often made from large shrubs. "Would like ... enough grass to enjoy too." I left enough for rolling around naked. Is that adequate? The goal of having mulch alone where plants will grow eludes me. Why would one want the burden of top dressing annually and the look of parched desert? Just grow a groundcover in those mulched areas. The look is infinitely better and no need for adding more mulch ever. If you control weeds from the get-go, once the groundcover grows in, it is not difficult to maintain. The only reason to have some sort of gravel is for walking. At the firepit area you could use gravel or a hard paving, like brick, pavers, etc.

I have a semi-indoor pool. The back wall is about 7 feet tall. There is an area that protrudes toward the pool in the center. That area is about four feet wide. I am putting real stone on the walls. The stone is a flat dry stack stone. I have a water source from the pool already plumbed in that area. I would like to know the best way to have water trickle down the stone into the pool. I am going to step the stone down to the pool edge. The current wall is only about 8" away from the pool at that point. The stone is only about one inch thick. My concern is that the water might flow horizontally and not down the front into the pool. Currently the water comes out of the mouth of the figure near the bottom of that wall. I also am wondering how to introduce the water at or near the top. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thank you

To clarify my earlier post: I am in touch with multiple builders in WI to build a pool this summer. It seems that the right way to proceed would be to issue some pool drawings and specs for the pool equipment and hydraulics, then to have the builders I like make bids for these specs. Can you recommend a pool designer/engineer who could make these drawings and issue these specs, so that I can have a good way to compare these builders? If possible, I would like to find somebody who has experience in designing pool systems for areas that freeze in winter. Many thanks for your help!