I'd take out all the grass and have the whole area as one unified bed, rather than a small bed with a strip of grass next to it.

Is the soil full of roots from the tree, that you are thinking of pots?

I'm envisioning a woodland type garden to go with the doug fir. Some big rocks covered with moss and lichen, with some nice native shrubs like evergreen huckleberry, flowering currant, mahonia. Maybe a nice dwarf conifer for a focal point, like an alpine hemlock or a hinoki cypress.

You'll want the walkways edged with something very low growing that can take being stepped on occasionally. Like iberis or thyme or saxifrage.

Rocks, statuary and bird baths are all low maintenance, drought tolerant and deer proof!

Reg, thanks for the suggestions. I have grassed all of the bottom part in order to work on removing the St. John's Wort but I will certainly think about your suggestions for the upper part. Yes, the roots from the DF make it impossible to plant into the soil which is why I am thinking about pots. But I like your idea of the rocks, etc. And it does need something as a focal point.

I wouldn't put a dwarf conifer in the same scene as the fir as it will produce a conflict of scale, a David and Goliath effect.

Every designer will have a different opinion :-)) I think Reg makes some very good suggestions. Personally, I wouldn't find a dwarf conifer (not too dwarf) in a container creating a scale issue, as the Doug fir is limbed up well and is less of a design element than it is just a piece of the backdrop. And I think a gradation in height that a dwarf conifer (or other substantial plant) in a container would provide will produce more of a visual transition to the upper garden than just a ground plane treatment like rocks or groundcovers. A couple of aged boulders, a choice small conifer in a very nice container and some root/shade tolerant groundcovers to soften the edges and you're good to go! Keep it simple. I could see a nice colony of epimediums around the base of the boulders/container and they're considered pretty deerproof.

Look for something in the 5-8' range and a suitably sized container - wide and dished but not too tall, maybe 16-18". Personally, I'd stick with more earthy colors for the container, but that's really just a matter of personal choice. Something that accents or contrasts to the colors of the boulders perhaps?

You people are marvellous! I truly appreciate the time you have taken to look at my pics and offer your advice. I'm certainly going to use the boulder idea, love epimedium and get the tree in a pot. We have some mahonia growing in a bed above this one and the native plants are great. I'll try and use them here.