It seems like you are talking about 3 sides of your house. There is no possible way for us to correlate the pictures with the text. I suggest you limit the thread to one area at a time. Include the house, or a piece of it, in the panorama so we can have an idea of where we're looking. The panorama can be of slightly overlapping pictures taken while standing at one spot and pivoting, or with the pano feature of the camera.

And we need a specific location (not your zone) if you want any plant suggestions.

Saw your related post for your north facing front entry so it looks like you’re redoing your entire landscape! Consider asking your local larger nurseries for referrals to landscape designers. Sounds like you want to or can install plants yourself but consider that too. You can have a plan drawn for not a huge amount of $$. This plan, made after a personal visit to your yard, should incorporate the look you want with plants that will do well in the space. You can then take your time looking around for mature examples of the plants in the plans & also spread out your purchasing & planting. If you find you don’t like a particular plant in the plan you can research plants with similar needs & growth habits. It might be best to wait until fall to plant many of them. And, I’d think you want to do your front yard first as it’s so visible & you’ll get the most immediate bang for your buck doing that.

I agree , front is more of an emergency. I don’t want to spend $$$ but would like to get suggestions regarding evergreens and color.
Sometimes I have seen work done by Landscsper designers but it does not look spectacular or particularly vested.
I feel I have gleaned more knowledge and information from this forum.

SG - in your related post about your front yard you said zone 7 NY. I cannot offer help as I’m on west coast in Pacific NW zone 8 and don’t know your part of the country. In addition to my suggestion of driving / walking around neighborhoods to look at plants & designs that appeal to you, look for or google “Master Gardeners” for your county or area. They’re usually an extension operated from local colleges - there’s one connected with Cornell. cruise the site of the one you find in your area for the “AnswerLine”.. I bet they’ll refer you to resources and web sites for information about plants. My fave in my area is Greatplantpicks.org Take a look at it as an example of a great resource. This site for my area has many kinds of plant lists for specific growing conditions, & lists include sizes & growth habits for each on the list as well as pictures & suggested planting companions for combos. The lists include only tried and true plants! I’ve recommended this site to many who’ve told me how much help it was. About my suggestion to enlist a yard designer to draw up a plan for you to work from - I’ve done this twice for two new built homes with overwhelming blank landscapes So I say that from experience. Money well spent. And, a planting landscape designer is very different from a business that does yard maintenance and installs ”landscapes“ and hardscapes as part of their business. Not downplaying the importance of yard maintenance & installation but two very different animals!

Thank you , I’ll look into those sites and resources in my area. And, I agree with you regarding just driving around as well to get a better local flavor.

Yardvaark - I’ll repost it with proper pic including the house. I posted all three as I didn’t want to keep coming back and being a bother. But. I see your point. I have been reading your advice on other posts and I like the clarity.

Gardengal , I am in Long Island.

Another question - as I am doing this for first time, what’s the order of events ?
Plantings - light - grass
Do I do trees and plants first or landscape lighting first ? As I want to place some lights too in front and back perimeter rather than do solar lights which go barely a season.

SG - I keep pushing this point - This is where a landscape design will help you! First thing to do is layout & define the lawn borders and planting bed areas. You need to know where & what your larger elements & focal points like trees, are going to be located before you place your lighting to highlight those focals. Next is shrubs etc & finally grass or ground covers last so they don’t get trampled planting all the other stuff. Also a first thing is to figure out a watering system - none at all or in ground or drip?

KW - will get hold of sone landscape design as well during the week. Watering will be in ground. Lighting question was actually for my front which also has been dug up.

Yaardvark- here are some new pics, hope they help. Thus is the thr east side where half line of skip laurels are in place and you can see the gap. I am standing in my yard. Do I just continue skip laurels or can I introduce another element like a yet cohesive. I’ll post the other side later. Want evergreens as it’s a screening issue.

For me it would be closing the gap with schip laurels since you have them and they look good and it's the same line. I like better unified, simplified, repetitive, etc.

While usually anything hardscape is done before planting, running lights may be an exception, depending on your plan. You'd probably want to install any trees, since they are large and visible and where they are placed matters more than where a hidden wire, pipe, or conduit is placed. Then you can run pipes/wires, etc. and easily avoid the trees. But don't install small plants/sod until utilities, trees, and large shrubs are in.

Thanks, that was my main question as I was also worried if accidentally they may cut a wire if they planted trees after lights.

KW - thanks for that wonderful site and your suggestions. I love it. Have scheduled to speak with two landscapers as well. Will keep you posted

For the west side on the back yard , after cleaning there’s a long retaining wall seen which would have to be covered.
For most part I don’t have a screening issue there. Definitely well lit till 1 pm.
Found a hidden pool / grotto under all that overgrowth. Will try to get a pump to get it up work ! Am thinking of just making a stone mound around it with few low plants but the retaining wall needs color / cover.
Help please ?

The main problem solver for the retained area at the back, and in front of it, is going to be a groundcover. You could let if flow over the wall, like water over a weir or keep it clipped if you desire. You'd want to keep the undergrowth beat back, too, and delete weeds before installing anything. What are neighbors and townsfolk using at large areas where they need groundcover? What's your location?

I am in Long Island. Had lot of ivy there earlier. Would like to use to plant something more meaningful albeit a little ahead of wall or if I could get some trellises and plant vines. Then lay shorter plants or shrubs ahead of it.

I don't quite understand that description or the purpose of vines on trellises .... what they would do and why?

If you had ivy, was it English ivy or another plant? (Also not sure what "something more meaningful" translates to.) Is this part of the yard adjacent to property lines and do neighbors have ivy? If it's English ivy and they do, you'll either be getting it back or fighting it eternally.

Had ivy? Meaning you pulled it out? You might still have ivy! Watch to see if you have regrowth. Here in Pacific Northwest, ivy is classified as noxious invasive weed and you cannot buy it. You also cannot get rid of it easily and just by pulling it up. Check with local nurseries etc. on ground covers that are okay and not invasive!

But there will be little point in adding another groundcover if ivy will be returning.

Am not sure what kind of ivy it was. Neighbour has some vines on the trees that spread over. I’ll have to wait and check it or be aggressive about removing it / keeping an eye on it.
I don’t want to add ground cover there. Was thinking of

1. having a mid size shrub like hydrangeas or roses
   2 evergreens just in front of the wall and then some flowerplants
   3 trellis and roses or clematis or similar plants to give a vertical height to cover wall.

Yes, this is adjacent to neighbor I gotta yard.
4 . Create a long raised planter and then may be have a protected space to plant / not fearful of ivy

You are right, there’s a whole lot of ivy ground cover in one neighbors yard. You can’t see that in pictures though.
The other neighbor also has ivy growing on some of the trees seen on top of the wall.
So, what do I do , resign to ivy ground cover , and just kept it contained and trimmed ? Or can I plant some trees / shrubs in that area ?
It’s a long wall. If I could plant roses or hydrangeas - that would give me a lot of color for few months.

I just keep pulling the ivy as it shows up on our side. Once you "clear" your yard (and yes, you will continue to see it sprouting up), it is not all that difficult or time-consuming to keep it clear. Also, I would suggest that you mention to your neighbor that he/she might want to get it off the trees. Climbing hydrangea is a much prettier and healthier (for the tree) option.

Ivy is not a tree killer, like the big vines that climb on top of trees and rob them of light. There are forests where ivy and trees have been compatible for centuries and eons. And it is actually a very easy job, requiring minimal time and effort, to keep it off of trees if that is what one prefers. (And for the most part I would, so that it doesn't flower and produce seeds.)

If one needs a groundcover (which I think you do), has it, and their neighbors have it, I can't see how removing it is in the least helpful. I suspect that it was judged not very attractive, being all a jumble of ivy, weeds, and miscellaneous, uncontrolled vegetation. But had all of the weeds and jumble of other vegetation been removed, leaving the ivy, after it healed from the work-bruising, it is indeed a very handsome and durable groundcover. I created another thread some time ago specifically dedicated to managing it.You can find it here.

You're asking if you can plant trees, shrubs, roses and hydrangea in that area. I get the feeling that all of the landscaping work taking place right now is by the action of a bull in a china shop -- attacking whatever looks like it needs attacking -- and that there is no real thought-through plan ...?? Well, actually you can plant a lot of different things and do a lot of different things. But there's no way to know if any of what you do will be good for the future. Landscaping is not a matter of "throwing" plants wherever there seems to be space to plant them. It's a matter of analyzing every aspect of the yard in terms of how it can best function for you, and making it accomplish those goals in a way that best enhances its appearance. I suggest that what you do before going much farther than achieving a stopping point, is to create a whole yard master landscape plan. It's the only way you'll be able avoid expensive mistakes while making the most of the yard.

Yardvaark : I love the analogy , bull in china shop :)
I lived with the jumble few years and definitely wanted to clean it up. I have gained 6-12 ft depending on places in that side of my yard
I agree with you regarding master plan. I was thinking of roses and hydrangeas as I have them already in my yard.
My question was -
After I take care to somewhat prevent ivy or control it in that area
1 do I beautify it with flowering shrubs which will need more care and last few months
2 plant a row of evergreens and then worry about seasonal color in front of them
3 plant few large trees , and perhaps interspersed shrubs to maintain a sense of wilderness

I don’t want ivy , much as it is in neighborhood

Thanks for sharing your old thread. It’s extensive and comprehensive. I’ll read more in detail. And will post some pics from my yard as close up’s tomorrow

Solving landscape problems is many times not so much a matter of what one wants as it is determining what is practical and will work well over the long haul.

You could plant any of those things you mentioned, but will it be the right way to go? We don't know what you're trying to create or how it fits with your overall yard. The planning process reveals these things. Unlike the front of most houses, where a basic foundation planting scheme with many common features usually works, here, there's nothing but a backdrop of woods calling out for who-knows-what.

Here again, have tacked my brains for options to plant in front of this may be 2-3 ft high wall , west side, gets sun till 1.30 pm. Looked at lots of small trees / flowering perennials/ winter interests.
1 row of arbor vitae - will need a row of 15-20, depending on type, can discuss specific plant later and then some color in front of it like hydrangeas or roses. It’ll be neat , flow with other side and simple.
Also because on other side I have row of skip laurels with hydrangeas in front of them. So it’ll be cohesive but seems boring to me at this point.
I feel as if I am missing out on so many beautiful plants:)

2 which is where this forum comes in-
If I were to create a mix of some evergreens plus flowering trees and smaller bushes to create year long or at least summer long colorful interest, it would be great except that I can’t seem to crack it despite my long lists of plants.
Help please ?

Your question and comments imply that you intend for the wall to be hidden, as if that newly cleared portion is the new limit to the yard (since the upper view is already limited by trees, and shrubs would finish off limiting the lower portion.) If you want a mixed border of flowering shrubs, you could search "flowering shrubs for zone 7" and pick any of those that will match the light and moisture conditions that you're offering. (Be sure to weed out those that are not for zone 7 as Google jumbles many of them up.) Surely, there will be azaleas and hydrangeas in the offering.

Arborvitae could make sense if you're specifically trying to finish off the yard with a stately architecturalesque look. Other than that, it doesn't seem like there is a necessity to hide the woodsy foliage of the area behind the wall. You could even pop in a dogwood or two if there are any gaps in the woods that receive some extra sunlight (if you live where those grow.)

you could use an eastern red cedar

HW - that’s an idea. Will look at it again. It’s a juniper ?

They must have full sun.

SG - where does your property end - on your side of wall or is the wall on property line? You said that area is in sun until @ 1:30 so it’s morning sun. What about that “grotto” you uncovered? Does it have a water source? Is it a feature to highlight & be a focal point for that side of yard? I think I saw or you said you have hydrangeas in back yard. Would you want to add more flowering shrubs to enjoy from your patio & to break up the wall of green? If you have a spot with enough sun, that back wall line would be a great place for the red twig dogwood Bush you liked & also the ninebark. Both provide winter interest with their twigs / stalks when leaves fall. Don‘t put close to the grotto though so they don’t hide it again. Grotto needs very low sub shrubs & grasses around it to call attention to it if it’s a focal. Question- do you have a plan for that lovely long built in planter along patio? I’m wondering about the 3 evergreen / conifer looking mushroom shaped plants in it. They look like they’re being sheared to manage size & maybe need to come out.

My property is upto the wall.
Grotto has a small pool - I guess connected to water and pipes connected to go behind so it was possibly designed to circulate. I have yo empty that little pool possibly measuring 3 ft diameter and 2 ft depth as it’s a breeding ground now. I’d literally have to be in a hazmat suit to battle those mosquitoes:)
I want to make it a water feature - cover the area around with river rock and intersperse with grasses.
I would love to have flowers along the wall and am trying to figure a planting configuration that’ll look good and be sustainable.
The plantar has the evergreens, one is a beautiful barberi, you mentioned for winters and in between are salvia and dipladenia. There are lilies in there too as I was salvaging them from front yard for now.

Ok - so fill the brick planter with flowering plants. My vote is to pull out those 3 evergreens - they‘ve lost their appeal as look like shaving tops to keep low. If you want an evergreen at each end, look for pygmy or dwarf conifers - there are varieties with lots of yellow in them if they get enough sun & the planter looks like it gets lots of sun. Even small varieties of boxwood types would provide the right size evergreen for that space. Remember the gardener‘s mantra “ Right plant, right place”!

Plantar gets all day sun.
Am afraid you are right about evergreens. Was debating about taking out the whole plantar so my patio opens into lawn and is one expanse.
But I can see those plants and flowers from inside the house as it gives them an elevation
Also I don’t have to keep bending or going on my knees when pottering around in it.

Keeping the brick planter depends on one's priorities. If one used the patio much and wanted it to be as nice as possible, having it connected to, and open to the yard, where the yard itself was a nice view, would be a 'higher use,' preferable to having it be barricaded by a raised planted and cut off from the yard. If one rarely used the patio or didn't create an especially nice view in the larger yard, the planter has the potential to make color be more visible from inside the house and help one pay less attention to the yard beyond.