How the plants accent each other is more than just house and plant colors. There spatial relationship, negative space, and temporal changes to those spaces created are all more important.

Of more immediate concern is the FA. Have you checked the diameter of a 10-year old FA? It will be growing into your living room in no time or else require tremedous pruning resulting in a half pyramid shape.

"Look at me!" landscape design usually winds up a misguided, disappointing failure. To be sure, a 'Fat Albert' spruce can be a wonderful tree in the right setting. However, there is much more to creating a visually pleasing landscape than plunking in a few exclamation points. For one thing, the static nature of that design attempt becomes quickly boring.

If your goal is to stop traffic, you have design considerations of far greater importance than concern the color will get lost against the house.

It seems as though you are trying to decorate the cake before you have even baked it. Pay attention to good design basics and then build upon them.

For one thing, you say you want your plantings to stand out but yet you are cramming them against the house in an ever-so-ordinary way. This is a common practice that I call 'perimeter paralysis'. If you want plantings to stand out; consider literally having them stand out; as in, away from the house.

IronBelly

I am happy to take the advice of people with far more knowledge of landscape design and I came to this forum looking for help. So, please don't think I am disregarding the responses you have given. However, correct me if I am mistaken but a "Fat Albert" Blue Spruce is to get 15-20' tall with a diameter being no greater than its height. Therefore, if, as I indicated, I was digging the hole for planting a fat albert at about 12-14 FEET away from the house....how will it encroach???????

Don't get hung up on my mis-reading 14 inches for 14-feet, after all I haven't invoiced you.

Fat Albert (Picea pungens) is supposed to be a semi dwarf slow grower. It's conceivable the next owner of your home might see it reach its full potential height and spread.

I'm thinking taupe as being kind of neutral so I don't think you're too limited as to color palette with the house as a backdrop. Ninebark is nice, but my experience is only with a couple of "Dart's Gold" picked up on the cheap at one of the big boxes in August of 2006. Someone on another forum thought to prune Ninebark hard the first few years to get them to grow dense. I wouldn't go that route since mine leafed out this spring dense enough and are a ways away from major branch arching. And with a little arching - there goes your formal, shaped look.

2 storey height of nothing but siding screams out "tree-planting opportunity" to me. Why are you using shrubs instead? It strikes me you might have plenty of room for both.

KarinL

Currently, there is nothing planted along the foundation "bed" along this 2 story vinyl-sided wall. However, within 10' of the bed is a 2-story + tall maple tree. It's kinda positioned such that it appears centered along the wall. So, the idea of planting trees in the foundation bed is hard for me to imagine. Therefore...the weigela...or something. Again, the ninebark is way cool (to me) but I just am concerned about its color not standing out against the fairly dark wall. Thanks for your ideas.