Not sure what kind of JM in his mind. He just like the color and shape of the JM leaves. If we do get one, we will want something different from Red maple and JM(purple-ish color) we already have at the back of the yard Since this one is near the house, I think small ornamental or dwarf tree that gave us nice foliage color would be nice. May be a tall shrubs like read Althea (Hibiscus syriasus), but is not is evergreen.

Thanks for adding your suggestions, Renee! And gypsy, I think your garden is lovely, don't sell yourself short! And thank you Renee for your kind comments. It is such a pretty, pretty area of our yard, and my husband is on board for it to stay formal. And yes, these rose trees are breathtaking. Every year the perform better and better. They are nearly 8 feet in diameter right now . We're going to have to re-stake them. Again. With something really massive, lol! House is sort of a beige with medium brown trim. Sounds ugly, but it is sort ofTuscan in its style, and it's a nice neutral color. Here's an old photo of the house (much more landscaping and fruit trees, now). My formal garden area is on the left side of the house: Colors for the flowering plants. Thinking purple (have some variegated lavender colored iris that will stay, just need to be dug up and repositioned), pink and white. And some silver foliage and green foliage. The lavender I was thinking of using is Lavandula angustifolia 'Thumbelina Leigh'. Very nice, well behaved, very rich green foliage and deep blue purple flower heads. Plus, it is very fragrant. I have found this to be one of the very best lavenders for small spaces, just has so many great qualities. I was also thinking of maybe using some Dianthus? I found these 'Super Trouper' in a fuschia pink, which I think would be a nice color accent. Foliage is silvery: White Meidiland roses would be great. Or some white rose. I have a lone 'Glamis Castle' that looks gorgeous below the 'Red Fairy' tree rose. So, yes, white roses would be very pretty. I'd love to have any DA rose, so I might try to mix and match pink, purple and white DA's in the middle of the triangles. For the shady areas, I could go with a white Kalanchoe, or a white begonia with the Hellebores. The shady area is much more difficult to plant. Patty S. This post was edited by hoosierquilt on Mon, May 20, 13 at 18:44

I am glad you liked it! :) Sorry for the late response, I've tried to think about alternative solution with more passage space. It's not so standard as previous two layouts, but it does give more space and maybe it give you an inspiration with your living room: I've choose the red stools to balance the red chair and to define and highlight central conversation area, but at the same time to keep view at fireplace unblocked (when they are not in use). I had to change color of one chair, since having the chair in the corner in the same red color kept kicking the space out of balance. I don't know if you like that trend of layered rugs, in the case you do, I think it could help in your case to break a bit long, rectangular shape of the room. On the short wall I though buffet with a mirror or art could provide a focal point for seatings placed by fireplace. In this setup I've put two rounded coffee tables instead long rectangular one to avoid highlighting the length of the room. @Kim, thank you :)

Landscaping, and more landscaping. You need some curb appeal. Also looks like maybe a wooden sidewalk??? Whatever it is, clean out the grass in between it, and around it, and maybe stain it up a bit. Its a very nice house, and looks to be in great condition, just very boring curb appeal.