Tree decisions are really best done from a "felt" perspective on the site, not from a picture taken from outside (and looked at by people who have never been there). So with respect to removal, only do it now if you really want to, not because someone on the internet has said so, even if it is me :-) And I think you still haven't told us what kind of tree it is? It's still possible that it is something really wonderful with deep roots, and if the shade is in exactly the right place, ignoring me IS an option! For new tree placement, start with thinking about where and what time of day you want shade (I don't think you've told us yet which way the house faces). And then, from looking out the windows, which views do you want to block/enjoy? And then, what do you want arriving guests or the pizza delivery guy to be able to see? Imagine the canopy starting at about 8' high. Have once person stand inside and look out while the other goes outside holding something - an upside-down rake or an umbrella - to help imagine what it would look like from inside to have a tree in certain spots. Compare this to the existing tree. Looking out from the house, or from your side door, if you could wave a magic wand, where would you move its canopy to... right, the left, or lower? Sometimes we have certain ideas in our heads that we have to work through or see before we can let go of them, and I detect you have a certain adherence to plantings lining the walkway! The sidewalk does make a handy edge, and it is nice to have growing things to enjoy as you walk to the front door (although you more often use the other door, you say). And it gives you a place to start - it can be scary to let go of the edge and plunge a shovel somewhere in the middle of the yard. The downside of these edge plantings is that they are constraining. Hard to have a fridge delivered, or to bring Aunt Mabel in for Christmas dinner with her walker, or along the driveway, hard to open a car door and step out. I am showing below a doodled idea that expands the sidewalk a bit, but whether you plant along a sidewalk or driveway that is narrow or wide, going tall along it - with trees - is not a good idea. Constraining your feet with low plants is one thing, constraining your shoulders or head is another. Near my parents' place, some idiot planted a weeping birch right by the public sidewalk. Someone shorter than me prunes the canopy to a height that is comfortable for them :-) On a rainy night, this is... annoying! Karin L PS Bearing in mind that I am neither artist nor professional designer, here is one idea sketched onto your plan view. If you print out a few more copies of the blank that you posted, you can doodle your way to a design that suits you. This expands a bit on your sidewalk slab, and then plants adjacent to it, in a curve that mirrors the curved bed of shrubs you might put at the corner. You can place new trees into the shrubbery bed or in the central grass area however it best suits you. Whether you extend the beds along the straight parts or just have the curved parts depends on just how much planting area you want. On the outside of your semicircular shrub bed, something like carpet junipers might be the best thing - that way people won't walk over it but it will be both low and attractive.

You people are great! So much input and so fast. So here's a little more info on what I'm thinking: - Privacy: We would like to have privacy in the yard. The windows are not an issue. We are in the yard a lot as soon as it's nice enough outside and practically have every meal outside. The neighbors use their yard not as much but often enough, the lady runs a day care out of her house, and they mainly use their back entrance for coming and going. Right now it's so open you bascially cannot not say Hi. And while they are nice, I'd like to have the option of ignoring them once in a while without seeming rude. :) So I guess, we don't need a castle just more view protection from their yard/walkway into our yard, especially our sitting area and my hammock. A picture of the other side of the yard from early summer so you can imagine the whole thing. On the patch of concrete in front of the hammock is now a table with 6 chairs. As you can see there's not so much sheltering us from the other neighbor either, but it's not so bad. The impression is different because of the oak tree "ceiling" and the rose bush (hard to see, it's hidden behind the tree from this perspective). And I've had some annual climbers grown on 5 ft supports. They came with the house and are not pretty but for now they'll do. Also, the neighbor is never in the yard and we rarely see him coming or going... Walkway: The first thing I wanted to get rid off was this ugly concrete path, especially since it cuts the yard in half like that. But after I figured out how much it would cost to remove the concrete and then to put down a more appealing alternative, and into how many plants/other yard structures that would convert, my plan for now is to try to develop a plan around the existing walkway, maybe add arches for depth, a focal point in the middle of the pathway, have the "rooms" go off to the side of the path, and stain the concrete a dark color. No lawn yard: I'm really in a total starting phase. I went outside and measured everything yesterday. When I get it on graphing paper and some ideas down I will run it by you guys. So far the following ideas are floating in my head: Since it would be better if the pathway could stay, my thought was to go with the geometry of the space (square) and have square four rooms that go off from the path. The patio will stay where it is. It's convenient too because of the shade from the oak tree. I would like to make the hammock area into a retreat corner. Surrounding vegetation for that should be at least chest high. For the back right side there are a few things in my head but nothing concrete yet. It has the most sun. A sitting spot with a rockgarden. Or with perennials centering around peonies. Or... On the left side the front may be kept open for a child play area maybe with sandbox. I may actually keep the lawn there or replace it with a no mow stepable groundcover. But I would want to widen the flowerbed or planting area next to the fence at least a few feet. Then something to divide the "childplay room" from the back left. I was thinking of a veggie garden there since it gets decent sun, but I'm not yet sure how much we'll be here enough during the crictical months of the summer. It may have to be a yard to be enjoyed in early and late summer. If not veggies, then I don't know yet. All this hasn't been scatched out so I have no idea if I'm trying to cram much too much into our small yard and should depart from the four room idea. Fence: It's stained from what I can tell. And it's worn off in quite a few places. I'm from Germany and I don't know what people do with the fences here in this climate. I'll find out. Re: the privacy issue so far I like the idea of supports that maybe mimmick the shape of the pickets maybe just part of the whole length. I worry that posts and wires will not look good. I will also look into tall, narrow pergolas, but I find the structures usually too "heavy" for our little yard. Or just plain ugly looking. ;) But maybe there are some out there that could fit the bill. Karin, what would you do if the pathway was to stay? I liked your thinking, I just don't think it's in the budget... Hmh... lots to think about... Thanks so much already. And keep it coming.

Got it. So, if the exotic invasive honeysuckles are present, then yes, they will happily move in to fill any newly-created space. Again, I'm right there with you, having dealt with numerous similar situations. You're on the right track in knowing that nature abhors a vacuum. as soon as one element is removed, something is going to move in and fill that spot. So, are you at all familiar with the cut-stump, or as I prefer to call it, cut/treat method of removing and eradicating non-native invasive woody species? We've talked at length about it here and elsewhere, so some kind of search should turn something up. That's the technique you're going to need to use if you are to have any hope of beating this honeysuckle back. It is doable. I get what you're asking, that of the possibility of the conifers appearing too stiff. I happen to like conifers a great deal, under the right conditions, and my favorite woods have both broadleaf and coniferous species. One thing that can help to soften the effect is to plant in groves, the way nature usually does. So, in nature, some disturbance-fire, windstorm, etc. -would have cleared an area. Often, conifers are among those species able to colonize such sites. As such, they are often quite closely-space initially, with the stragglers dying out over time. What is left is a rather dense grove, especially true of the genus Thuja, which is what the Green giants are. I'd rather see a grouping of them than one blob here, one blob there. I'm sure you don't have any native groves of Thuja occidentalis down your way, but up here, it is a common feature of primarily low, wet woods. And everybody-and I do mean everybody-loves the effect of these groves. From any distance at all, it looks like big, oversized moss to me. In any case, that is the type of effect I'd go for with the GG's. +oM

Comparatively slow-growing planted features like arborvitae hedges take YEARS to size up - how long are you willing to be "killed" while you wait for this to happen? For instance let's say to get what you are visualizing a planting needs to be 20 ft. tall in at least part of the area involved. If the kind of plant chosen averages 1 ft. per year in height increase on your site you will be waiting 20 YEARS (minus the height of the plants at planting) before the desired level of screening is produced. This was the solution: >Trellises, pergolas, outdoor shades and curtains, and/or shade sails will get you want you want<