If you're feeling overwhelmed, it might help to think first of all about WHAT YOU WANT THESE TREES TO ACHIEVE. Then consider just tree shape and size, and only then about which trees you want or what you want their finer attributes to be, eg flowers or fall colour. It might also help to simply ignore the builder trees for now in this exercise as they are likely some Bradford Pears or something, may not have been well planted, and may not last long anyhow. You need to look out all your windows and from various points on your property and think about what view corridors you want to preserve, which ones you want to block, and where you want shade. Sometimes our instincts tell us to do something that when we really think it through, is not right. As an example, your proposed spot for a "pretty" tree appears to be right in front of the front door and windows. Ornamental trees typically don't grow all that tall, so the tree will block a clear view of/from your house. This may be what you want; it may also not be. Print out your pictures and sketch or overlay moderate sized trees at various locations, see how you like the impact (or photoshop, the modern equivalent). You do not need to be afraid of big trees. You have lots of space for good-sized trees since you can borrow airspace from the public sides of your property (may mean you have to clear leaves there if you do). The kind of profile I'd be looking for for at least a couple of specimens (for the future of course) is like the tree shown across the street in your second-last photo. The other thing that may help you is to remember that landscaping decisions are almost always reversible. If you put a tree in the wrong place, you can move it, or cut it down and replace it. And Mr. Jack certainly does have some trees! If I were shopping there my selections would include some of the shade trees - Ash, Little Leaf Linden, London Plane if you have a space for very big; maybe a nut tree, though they can be messy and difficult, and in the case of Pecan, very big; and a Magnolia Jon Jon for the "pretty" part. As far as planting BIG trees is concerned, they need not grow to maturity. You will of course have no control over the trees 50 years from now, but a residential treescape should be renewed from time to time anyway so the trees need not grow to maturity (and ash and walnut wood, for example, are very desirable and need not go to waste). And you might enjoy a fruit tree in the back yard. But again, so much depends on you and on what you want from these decisions and from the property - we often research the plants to death, and forget to examine our needs as closely, and without understanding those, it is impossible to pick the right tree. KarinL

I guess it's time for me to go beyond a general interest in LA and decide what it is I want to do. What stirred my interest and question was the combination of outdoors work, creative work, nature, environment, and the fact that getting into LA with an engineering/geology background might easier than switching to something else "creative" that didn't involve the science/engineering side of LA. As it turns out, I am really less interested in that part though. So maybe LA is not the degree for me or at least overkill. I have since talked to two local industry professionals which has been another eye opener. It seems, the two work at opposite ends of the spectrum. One designs high-end backyard paradises, deals with planting and design. The other has a workload that consists mostly of landscaping the space around his company's architecture projects, and deals with irrigation issues, city codes, turf grass, and sprinkler systems. The latter doesn't sound nearly as much fun as the former. It sounds too much like engineering. The guy was great, almost a life saver, provided a wealth of information, and yet I came away thinking maybe I am peering down the wrong alley here. Maybe I shouldn't try to pursue LA but continue gardening at home. Anyway, I got a number of leads for additional people to talk to, and I will see what they say. I could see myself working on residential projects and even for some municipal department. 99% of the cities I see are in dire need of landscaping and protecting those small and shrinking green interstices. Maybe my green passion for nature and environment would be better spent somewhere else rather than possibly having to go to work for a company that's "landscaping" urban sprawl. I don't mean to offend anyone. I just think much of urban USA is not a nice place to live. Is LA the field for someone wanting to make a difference here, or should I look into urban planning ? Anyone ? I'm confused.

Just three years ago, where my house and yard is now was just a field of weeds. On my half acre lot, I've mulched with between 500 and 600 bags of leaves from neighbors, ground up, and applied thickly to growing beds, spread regularly and thinly on the lawn. In some of the areas where I wasn't going to pay much attention to for a few years, I put down a thick layer of newspaper before piling on the leaf mulch. In areas where I am actively gardening, I just pile on the leaves each fall and winter(already started collecting leaves this year). I already have absolutely no weed "problem" in my garden areas. Yes, the mulch keeps down almost all of the weeds. Also, some weeds sprout and come through the mulch. The advantage of the mulch is that the soil underneath never is hard, dry, and impossible to remove weeds from. I walked through my garden often that first year in particular, to remove weeds when small and well BEFORE they can ever go to seed. Anything that can grow from any small piece of the subject weed or that included seeds(along borders, etc., I put in a trash can for removal from my property. More benign things go in the compost pile. But they are very easy to pull from well mulched soil, and there just aren't many of them. The casual way I deal with weeding is an indication that just the organic mulch is all I need. I have seen, heard, and experienced horrible things with landscape fabric, and I won't subject myself to that.

Haha, love the sharpie idea! I think your wife’s choice of the Cloe tile would be lovely. The other samples are very nice as well. Backsplash is always the hardest kitchen decision for most of us. I do lean more towards a glossy tile for your kitchen style. I agree with you on seeing some pictures of the cloe that look great and others not so much. My husband (gc) and son just installed the white cloe in a shower for someone. The homeowner asked me to help her pick out the tile. I showed her the cloe and she fell in love. Since they had not worked with this tile before, I showed them pictures of what not to do. One photo had major lippage going on. I notice that mostly happens when no spacers are used. I also showed them a photo where they had placed two or more of the same exact color of tiles right next to each other. It is especially noticeable with the ones that are a little darker. I believe they ended up doing a 1/8” grout line and it turned out so pretty! Homeowner was thrilled. I am sure whatever you and your wife decide on the tile, or cabinets/no cabinets on range wall, it will look wonderful. I honestly don’t think you can make a bad choice. Please let us know what you decide!