Hi James, I was wondering if those steps are new concrete steps and if the house was tuckpointed recently before you bought it? The reason I ask is that there appears to be some very recent work done in those areas that you are having problems with (notice the lighter color of the mortar in the joints of the brick surrounded by darker mortar joints in picture 3). Was there settling around the steps and was the footer replaced or were the stairs just re-pointed with new slabs layed for the treads? I also see a long vertical joint that looks like it was caulked near your family room. You may have some deeper settling issues that were camouflaged with some touch ups. I would like to advise you to call a bricklayer in to see if there is a problem that you may need to worry about with the foundation walls. You may have already addressed the issue permanently by diverting the water. But I would advise checking into it with a professional before you do any more work around that section of the house. An estimate will not cost you but you will have some peace of mind before you invest any more time, effort and energy into it.

Definitely not opposed to chemicals. I had planted a lot of wildflower seeds last spring in that front right area, and it looked like a somewhat decent area, in that in was flowering, though a mix of weeds and wildflowers. This year, I just let it grow, so I wouldn't kill off any wildflowers... Well, I don't see any of what I would consider wildflowers, just weeds. So may do the round-up (did that before I planted the wildflowers), and then weedeat. The Rose of Sharon's will be at the top of the hill, and will be getting mid-day/afternoon sun, so I think they'll be happy. The Crape Myrtles in the middle, they have sun for now in mid-day and good portion of the afternoon.. Not planting anything else that'll be tall near them, so hopeful they'll be good :) Maybe rose of Sharon's and groundcover (juniper maybe?) on that front right hill. Juniper to keep the weeds down, and Rose of Sharon to fill it in. It's a major pain to even weedeat that front right area, nearly twist my ankle anytime I do it. Edit: OH yeah, add Forsythia Lynwood Gold to the list of possibilities.. I picked one up on clearance from Lowes a few months back, and just planted it out front. Never had one, but I have read they're even easier to propagate, and I think this one looks pretty healthy. This post was edited by kenallgood on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 21:51

Just sitting here nodding in agreement with a lot of posts. I think the most important thing at this point is to look at your property and decide the functions you will use it for down the road so you don't ruin the space when you get around to addressing it. Yes, leave access for getting trucks and machinery to various parts of the property, even on three acres. Especially on three acres you plan to fill generously with trees. Yes on considering some groves and avoiding onesie-twosies and when the tree bug bites you, and it will, it's very enticing to want 'one of everything' and three of nothing and the visuals on that can be busy and disjointed. You have a big house, and need to consider proportions so that the trees planted near it don't come off looking dwarfed and the house monstrous. We have an epidemic here of mini-mansions festooned with dwarf weeping cherry trees, the branches pruned abruptly like a bowl haircut. We also found it more logical to start close and move out with our plantings. Although we are not close to any other dwellings, I use plantings as visual blockades to scenes I don't care to see and for privacy, so do look out your windows in the general direction of any tree you consider planting to make sure it DOESN'T block what you want to see, and does what you don't want to see. Yes I do plant trees to block sun for the shading effect. If they are deciduous, blocking sunlight isn't an issue in winter and it has a tremendous impact in summer to keep our stucco over brick house cool. It sort of amazed me to see someone mention leasing solar panels. You lease from them for your power, or they lease from you for the exposure and buy the power you generate? In our neck of the woods, it would be a company wanting to sink an oil well, instead. LOL. I have a perfect south facing roof area, but any solar panels ever getting there would be self-financed and simply supplemental in their efficiency. I don't have central air, and having a boiler heat am not interested in retrofitting ducts to accomodate it. Trees size so much more quickly than you think. I have some aerial shots of our property taken fifteen years apart and it's astounding at the amount of canopy we have now, compared to then. Our annual rainfall is adequate for most of our plantings and we have installed some freeze proof spigots away from the house, but I got a chuckle over the remark of 100 gallon tanks for watering. Tried that one year and .........well....despite how large a tractor you have, you'd better have more than a trailer behind it to pull your water tank. The center of gravity shifts in liquid loads. It ain't purty. Yes on buying small for most trees. They establish more readily and catch up with the bigger, more expensive ones quite quickly. I've had just as good success with B and B, but really the only reason I got the ones I did was I couldn't find them container. This is going to take years and it never really gets done. That's as it should be and part of the adventure. I can honestly say I've never had to rip a tree out because of poor placement. Nobody shares the exact gardening philosophy and what's right for me might not be right for you as far as pleasing to the senses. Over the years I have found I've been much more pleased with a tree whose needs have been met than one unsuitable for the growing conditions. A healthy and robust, easy care tree is often more beautiful than one which you much struggle to keep happy. Remember it's a lot easier to attend to correcting things like improper branch angles than addressing the problems they cause down the road. Have fun with it and enjoy the journey, too.

Thanks again to all who replied. Everyone's thoughts (plus my own) were passed in unedited form to owner and I got some feedback. A lot of ideas that was expressed by you was accepted and we both, Jennifer and myself realy appreciate your help and welcome all comments and criticism for our future plans. Project most likely will be done in a two stages: -stage #1, fall'06. -stage #2, spring-summer-fall'07. stage #1. One large free form bed will be created on a right side at the curve of the driveway, which is coincidently at about middle of it, 90' from the road and 100' from the garage. Tentative lenght of this bed is 45' and at widest point it will be about 30' while majority of the planting area will be in 15-22' width range with 3' clearance (meaning no shrubs) from the edge of the driveway for the snowplowing provision. It will be slightly (6-8") raised bed with some medium to large size rocks incorporated mostly in the back side of it to serve practical purpose of sort of retaining wall and to match another 'rock composition' they already have there. Jen and her husband will start work on a bed preparation ASAP as time and weather permit and they hope to make it ready this fall. Then they'll plant some spring bulbs, namely daffs and tulips and call it a year. They (we?) will have a whole winter to plan and think of what they'll plant there next year during the stage #2. Also, they both (and me too) like the Martie's idea of planting one medium sized tree at the bottom of the driveway on a left side. I suggested something red/burgundy leaved and idea was accepted. What would you think would be better, Bloodgood maple or Prunus cerasifera (Purple-Leaved Plum, Cherry Plum) or something else? Tricia's idea about clump of the white birch to the right of the garage was met with a round of applause and despite birch borer potential problem it probably will be implemented this fall if they'll found decent speciman (I suggested Young's as a first place to look for it.) For the privacy in a backyard I suggested to plant 2-3 viburnums (V. tomentosum 'Shasta' or 'Mariesii') to the left of garage line to the woods leaving at least 8' space from the side of the house for the future gate or arbor to backyard. As those large viburnums will grow they'll provide protection from the westerly sun and in a future could be underplanted with hydrangeas from the backyard side. Any objections to this idea? stage #2. Despite runktrun's warning about avoiding temptation to use bold colors, I brought to them idea (and even named easy to find and care for plants for this sceme) of yellow-burgundy/purple bed and for now idea stands, but I could easily divert them from this direction. They still have the whole winter to think about. Meadow....I didn't mentioned that before, but on a left side of the driveway starting from the edge of the woods and going parallel to the driveway there is a huge NATURAL meadow though it's partially ruined by construction activity and need a restoration. Jen visited yesterday Whie Flowers Farm to see their C. Lloyd-inspired meadow border and came back with all inclinations to do 'the same thing or better'. LOL, she's a brave girl! One more time thanks to everyone and I'm looking forward for comments and criticism. TIA, George