Your daylilies look like they're doing well, and the planter doesn't seem very deep. If it were me, I'd remove all the shrubs, I'd create symmetry with another bank of daylilies on the other side of the bench, expand the # of dayliles, and maybe espallier some type of large shrub in the places where your junipers are growing..would photinia grow in your zone? I'd mulch the area under the red maple.

Here is a link that might be useful: photinia espallier

This post was edited by melle_sacto on Sun, Apr 14, 13 at 11:52

melle_sacto - I like the fact that the shrubs give it some substance and provide something year round. The daylillies only bloom for a few weeks and start to look scraggly. I want to create the right balance between shrubs/evergreens, perennials, grasses, etc. Just not sure exactly how to do it.

Do you really use/view this area year round? It seems odd to me to have evergreens so close to the pool. (unless they are large, and are used to provide screening). I guess I am used to seeing summer-flowering things such as hibiscus, cannas, etc. as poolside plantings. The area also looks pretty narrow for shrubs anyway.

Are the daylilies the orange "ditch lilies"? If so, there are much better ones to choose. Grasses would be a good idea.

Maybe you'd enjoy a flowering vine in place of your junipers! I've attached a link for a very pretty honeysuckle that might work.

For the other shrubs, any replacements that get tall will likely grow wide again, unless you shear them into a narrow hedge or espallier them against the fence.

I don't know how your particular shrubs handle pruning, so if it were me I'd just wait and see before going to the work of replacing them

Here is a link that might be useful: Lonicera periclymenum âSerotina Floridaâ

Yes, the view from our living room and kitchen is out towards the pool. Here is a picture of the entire pool area with not much in bloom. I'll attach a few more to show the colors. I dont' find it odd at all too have evergreens and other shrubs, along with the MANY perennials I have in the beds. I also fill lots of containers with tropicals and annuals to extra color.

Here is another picture of the center area in late summer. Some of the perennials have stopped blooming already. I like the evergreens as a backdrop to hide the ugly grey fence and the pool shed, as well as a constant color of green to the area. The perennials, annuals and tropicals add extra color.

That area is very nicely done! The bed appears to be a lot deeper, allowing you to layer the plantings with a background, middle, and foreground.

The problem area appears narrow and that size just isn't very conducive to layering heights/multiple plantings etc. Maybe it would be suitable for a vegetable garden since it receives full sun!

Thanks Melle_Sacto for the compliment. I wanted to show the second picture to show that there is a lot of color around the pool.

Yes, my problem area is narrow, which is why I'm considering taking out the daylilllies and adding some type of flowering shrubs to even the space out. Right now, the daylilly patch is so much shorter then the rest. Double Knockout roses don't get as big as the regular knock-outs and are easily trimmable, so I'm considering them and replacng the junipers with another type of small upright evergreen.

Can I ask what the tall shrubs are in the 2nd pic?

What if you planted some sky pencil holly in that narrow space?

Those are 'Steeds' Hollies in the second photo. For the arbor area, I was wondering whether to put another type of evergreen (like the sky pencil holly, etc) or a tall grass or even something like a tropical majetsy palm or something. There is A LOT of color with the clematis, climbing roses, and many other perennials, so I'm not concerned about more color.