Get the hardscaping done, including widening what looks to be a very narrow path, Then, post a picture of the area without photoshopping anything so we can see what you're working with. I think the boxwoods look fine.

Thanks. The walk is 4 feet wide, and we’re only replacing it because the pavers are really dated and I love bluestone. I can’t help feeling that the conical shrubs flanking the entry is really overused. They’re everywhere.

We have basically a blank slate.

Green Mountain gets big. So my first thought is that the plan is somewhat overplanted, and is going to need more maintenance pruning than I'd like to get into deliberately.

Thanks. I certainly don’t need to make any extra work for myself trying to keep them in bounds and off the house.

This is an Very densely planted plan. Consider the mature size of the plants: PJM 5-10' high and wide, andromeda/pieris japonica smallest cultivars if you can find them 5 x 5 and up, lacecap hydrangeas generally 4-5' high and wide but some smaller cultivars might be available, buxus Green Mtn, 5 high by 3, common box gets 5-15' high, spiraea Little Princess 2h x 3 wide, hawthorn 20 x 20'.

Think about the height of the window sills in relation to the shrubs. You can prune boxwood, but unless you really are into it, they become woody over time from shearing. One house photo shows lots of shade dappled so depending upon time of day, this will affect flowering shrubs in season. I agree that the pointy evergreen flanking the doors is uninspired.

I would rethink this planting plan with a mind to sun exposure, plant size, and leaf texture. My sense is that this proposal will swallow up the house in not only an abundance of material, but in leaf density - it's all 'tight'. Don't do the walk until you figure out the plants. If you want three layers of mid sized shrubs, you may want a deeper bed which will push the walk further from the house. Then do the walk first as the prep and installation will wreck the planting bed. A 4' walk is ok, but a 5' walk allows two to walk abreast. Your house seems to have the scale to accommodate this.

It's may be 'just' a foundation planting, but it will be costly and scale is crucial. You don't want to be pulling this out in five years. Also, your plant material choices will be significantly greater in the spring. Don't let any contractors tell you fall is a great time to plant. By early October the pickings are slim, material may be suffering in crowded pots, substitutions will not be optimal (cultivar/size, color, etc.). Moreover, evergreens require warm soil temperatures to establish before winter.

retired professional

Good point about the plant selection being picked over at this time of the season.

The area on the left is 12’ deep x 17.5 long so I think the plants specified should fit OK. The PJMs I’ve had in the past didn’t get that big in the 12 years or so that I had them, but I’ll take another look at that. The Lacecaps will be Twist-n-Shout, a smaller cultivar. So assuming I replace the Lilac standard with something man-made like a birdbath, there will just be a Spirea and some perennials in the middle row, plus whatever I decide on for next to the entry.

On the right, the boxwood might have to be a smaller type, maybe a Green Gem or Green Velvet something? I don’t mind a little occasional pruning on those if needed, I use hand pruners, not hedge trimmers, on boxwood. The Hawthorne (Winter King) can be planted far enough off the corner to accomodate its mature size. It’s definitely too close in the drawing. There is a propane tank on the side of the house that needs screening, but I can plant something else in front of the tank to cover the bottom few feet when it’s limbed up.

Widening the walk is easy to do, it may actually be wider than 4’ in the drawing, not sure, but the old one is 4. This is just a sketch on a base plan that I drew myself to get us started, I did not include the walk in my drawing, just the beds. I think I’d like to replace the Japanese Maple with a small wooden bench so the walk can be moved or widened to allow for that.

Thanks for all of your comments and observations. Any additional thoughts or ideas about the plant selection/placement or things I may not have thought of are most welcome!

I would question the contention that this will be overplanted. With the correct plant selection it will not be (I am a professional garden designer). There are a bunch of PJM cultivars and of differing sizes so pick one that will stay more compact. (FWIW, even in my very rhody-friendly climate, PJM's never get very big!). There are also many selections of dwarf pieris - Cavatine, Prelude, Little Heath for example.

I am not a big fan of box - exceedingly boring, can smell and prone to blight - but if you want a similar look. Japanese holly, Ilex crenata, could work well. And is more shade tolerant.

I have become very fond of Mahonia 'Soft Caress' in a less than full sun setting. Winter flowering and soft, feathery evergreen foliage. I often use that where others might choose box. And no pruning required!

Personally, I'd include the Japanese maple.....they really are a timeless landscape addition.....but would opt for a red leafed form since there is already a preponderance of greenery. IME, a bench by a front entry will seldom get used :-) But a birdbath could be a good substitute

Thanks. Sorry, I just corrected my zone info in my username, I moved 3 months ago from zone 7 to zone 6 and I think the Mahonia might not be reliably hardy in 6? I had one before I moved and liked it very much.

i like the idea of the Japanese Holly, boxwood is indeed having blight problems where I live. I hadn’t thought about that.

GG, what do you think about the Green Mountain flanking the entry? Overused? That’s my feeling. OTOH at least they’re not Dwarf Alberta Spruce. 😉

"GG, what do you think about the Green Mountain flanking the entry? Overused?"

Yes :-) I don't really see a need to have matchy-matchy pairs of anything flanking the entry. It's not like the house façade is symmetrical and calling out for symmetrical plantings........

If you really wanted to, another type dwarf conifer could be used in that place. Something like Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Kosterii' or Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget'. They will look much less intentionally paired (and I agree 100% about the no DAS!!)

And you are correct - a zone 6 planting of the mahonia would be iffy, although I have found many plants far more cold tolerant than their zonal rating would imply.

Love the update!