I don't remember if I told you, but make a skimpy dashed line with the paint with the first walk through. Appraise the results and make corrections with a heavier dashed line. Appraise again and when you think it's right, go over it with a solid line. Depending how good you are about it, it can be fairly straightforward... or it can get messy. So take your time appraising it from many angles before making the corrections. If it gets really messy, a second, different paint color is useful. Once you get the line as you want it, mark it in some permanent way (cut with shovel?) as the paint will not last long. After a couple of weeks of weathering and mowings it may be so faded you can barely make it out. If you want the line reviewed, post a picture taken from a high elevation. I know you're making changes to the concept plan I showed you so I just want you to be thinking through the planting arrangements as you make the changes. Since you're doing this work yourself, I have the feeling you're going to become good at evaluating what you've done and the way things are fitting together... especially after you see a year's growth. Now that you're a transplant expert, you'll be able to make adjustments when you see some are needed. The hibiscus is more a shrub than "tree." It looks like something that should be within easy view of deck or pool area. Since you're new to so many plants and trying to save some $ by doing the work and putting this together over time, you might consider creating a temporary place where you plant various perennials that are under consideration...a regular perennial garden. You could collect plants with zero worry about what goes where, just stick them in. See how they do. Get to know them. You could place such a garden in any place that's not ready yet to be landscaped (so it's not in the way for a while.) As you evaluate plants, you can increase the stock of those you like. Some perennials multiply so rapidly that if you buy one, from it you can make all the others of that kind you need. If you do it, add 1/3 volume of peat moss to the planting soil so it is better to work in and better to grow things. Another thing I meant to mention, where you have like groups of plants (say River Birch) when it's all said and done you'll want these plants to match as though they came from the same family. It will not be pretty if one is a 5-trunk multi and another is a single trunker... and one branches as 8' above the ground, and another at 12 feet. They need to look like they're all from the same planet and got their hair cut at the same salon. What to do about it? This year, nothing. Just see what they do and try to make them as healthy and fast growing as possible. At the end of next winter, you'll want to do whatever pruning (before spring growth occurs) that's required to make them be matched. But never fear, even if it has to be severe, as long as they're healthy they'll bounce back and keep going.

Nice additions. I am guessing the design you have up top is like I said earlier to block the view of the neighbors homes from you house and for a winter windbreak. I didn't read the entire article due to time and it seems yardvark pretty much nailed everything as usual. I would just say personally I would add a little color via roses, would talk to a local nursery on those, and I would certainly look into edibles a bit more like a couple of apples. You could get full size "standard", Semi, or dwarf. I would slap a honeycrispx2 on there and a granny smith. I would also pick up a cherry or two, I personally like ranier but don't know how well they do in your area. That way you get spring blooms, fall apples/color, and something to look forward to seasonally. I would also augment those with evergreens like hollies with red berries for winter interest. When in doubt go for some more evergreens. Spring/Fall pretty much take care of themselves. See what looks best in your area in the summer/winter in the nurseries and go that route when in doubt of what to plant.

I think you should remove any frontal beds (save an isolated shrub or such) and let the groundcover come forward such that it could encapsulate the trunks of all front trees. This would entail the creation of a new bed line, killing a strip of grass at the front of the bed, mulching it, and allowing the groundcover to move/spread forward. There are probably many tall shrubs which you could use to create a screen between yours and the neighboring yards. Look around where you live and see what looks good to you. Then, get it identified. (There is a forum for plant ID. You'd need clear pictures from varying distances, including close up.) If you're interested in hedges that bloom over a long period of summer, look into panicle hydrangeas. There are many that work for hedges.

First thing I would do is remove the shrubs beneath the window...they require too much work to keep neat and tidy. It will also keep water away from your house's foundation. Build a low level fencing similar to your other fence to block off the AC and and still have access to it and inevidable maintenance. Add a gate for access. Then use flagstone or even a brick colored, curving concrete path leading to it...to keep it nice and easy to clean and still maintain a nice view of your backyard from the windows. Concrete or flagstone could actually fill in the entire area between the windows, covering over the patchy grassed areas. Add patio chairs and flowers in large pots if you want to add some color or softness to the area. The rectangular exposed aggregate stepping stones are great...keep them and reuse them in a curved pattern but lead them away from the noisy AC and to a low but 1 step above-ground deck. the Deck can extend all the way along the back fencing. You can then move your dining table and perhaps lounge chairs. Make it big enough where you can move around the furniture without stepping down off the deck...perhaps add an outdoor BBQ grill. The decking again can be trex and you could make the deck a lot bigger to keep landscape maintenance as low as possible...don't make it a squared off deck...give it a bit of a curve as you have with your existing pathway and the little garden with the hostas you now have. Try to avoid little areas of grass...they are hard to keep mowed, weeded and watered properly. Keep your grass to one nice larger area instead. And when the budget allows add a perimeter sprinkler system for the lawn. Or at least add a standing hose pipe connection off of the existing deck so you don't have to drag the water hose from the house and thread it through the decking posts to get to the yard.