Sounds like you have the right idea. A low or no maintanence example might be a Eucalyptus. There's plenty of Euc's hardy enough for the PNW.

Cheers, Barrie.

To get flow in a planting, rather than a clotlike appearance lots of small-leaved shrubs, some mediumleaf ones, and only a few largeleaf ones are best. Gums are the wrong shade of green to combine naturalistically with the other plants you have listed.

See Grant & Grant, GARDEN DESIGN ILLUSTRATED for lists of shrubs that would look natural with what you have already, other information about planting design. Reprinted many times, it will be in a library or bookstore near you. I have seen it several times at Half Price Books for five dollars.

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions. I do like Eucalyptus but I think not here. If I were to put in a largish tree would try to get a madrone which is native and grows quite well in this neighborhood. I think there are already enough trees though so even my madrone will not make the cut.

Thanks for the book suggestion. Aside from getting new plants there is nothing I like better than another book. The ones I have on garden design are not very good. I will look for it.

a.m.

Apart from size issue Arbutus menziesii would probably not be very compatible either, being a dryland tree with grayish green foliage (as are gums). Other than cultural compatibilities, how important this kind of thing is to you will depend on how you see such things. And you can knit adjacent groupings of foliages with differing naturalistic character together with plants that have foliage intermediate in color and texture, such as tall oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium). Grant/Grant point out what a good "blender" it is in their book.

I have a Japanese "Aralia" common name Fatsia that I think looks interesting next to my Castillion Bamboo. I have eccentric taste, but it's a thought. To me it looks quite exotic, almost tropical, and it does well in shade or sun ...