Here's what Im looking at.
Japanese Kwanzan is near deck and ac unit. (ac wiring is above ground)
A $22.99 crapemyrtle from HD in the left corner. I another HD crape that I put in a larger reused planter because I havent decided what to do with it. it has 3 or 4 trunks coming up. I am allowed to plant stuff on the other side of the fence but the landscape people choose how to prune it and Im not sure what they would do.
thats a larger red rocket crapemyrtle that is against the fence which mulch over it. I paid a lot for that one from a nursery.
I would like to plant a tall tree in the corner where you can see the crushed stone where the brick is removed. there once was a huge holly tree there in that corner right against the fence.

Im looking to add privacy and I want to make sure my tree locations and types are ok. Thanks for any help!

Here is another one

Last one, thank you in advance.

The Japanese Kwanzan is experiencing transplant shock. the younger leaves are turning yellow...

I made this up last night. all the hard structures are there already. I would like to remove some bricks and add sod or something green.

any suggestions at all would be helpful. I couldn't stand the way it was, I just hope Im doing it right.

You are right the Japanese Kwanzan looks a bit under the weather. How big was the root ball? Did you amend the clay soil before planting it? Has it been watered deeply?

If your soil is entirely clay there are some suggested plants that will do ok in it.

And to get to your question, what orientation does that garden map show? It would be helpful to know where the sun is coming from to get a better idea of what to suggest.

Here is a link that might be useful: RHS Plant advice for clay soil

Thanks for your reply Ninkasi. In the drawing the sun risings from the bottom and sets at the top ;) the parking lot is south.

The root ball was pretty big. I dug the hole 1.5-2 times the size of the root ball. The hole was a little bigger than 3 feet. so imagine about half that mulched space as the size of the root ball.

I dug about a half a foot to a foot deeper than the root ball and filled the hole with mostly new miracle gro garden soil and a little bit of soil I had from other parts of the yard that were dug up for planting. I made sure to water the best I could, understanding I need to make sure the entire root ball is watered. It then rained a few days later and once again last night. The tree was planted may 31th.

This post was edited by markjg on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 15:05

I know you are looking for a tree, but when I saw your layout, priority for privacy and the existing plants you chose, I thought immediately to bamboo-- not just any bamboo, black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra). Japanese Kwanzan and Crepe myrtle are Asian in origin, and the black stems of the bamboo would make the red rocket pop. I would contain it to a large container so you wouldn't have to amend the soil too much, and can keep it under control. I just think it would be beautiful there.

Keep an eye on the Japanese Kwanzan and make sure water is not pooling around the base.

Here is a link that might be useful: Royal Horticultural Society Black Bamboo

I have Phyllostarhy spectabilis bamboo that I just received yesterday. Its beautiful! They are in temp planters till my 100 gallon stock tank arrives. The bambo is there to block my neighbors porch. They sit against the railing for the basement door. I plan to build a wood surround to his the Rubbermaid tank.

Another pic

Thanks for taking the time to check them out!

those are beautiful, nice selection. I was thinking black bamboo because of the color of the shutters in the earlier pic. Stock tank for those is a great idea. I would probably still go with the black bamboo in the back corner, as it is a narrow space, and will provide symmetry when looking at the fountain straight on. In a perfect world you could put a purple leaf plum in that corner, but it has problems with pests and may get too big and shady for the yard. I would keep the cherry the focus.

You don't want that hole deeper than the root all with clay. It will be like sitting in a bathtub and kwanzans need good drainage. Was the top of the root all above the soil? If it's too low that will cause major issues, quickly.

You can see how my Kwanzan was planted, far left, just beyond the small Bloodgood.

Think evergreen as well as beautiful fragrant flowers and put a Southern Magnolia in the south-west corner. Too bad you can't put one in the stairwell to the basement to screen your neighbor's deck, but the bamboo will do a great job, all year long, and you will hear the rustle of the leaves in the breeze.

The crape myrtle trunks are handsome sculptures as they grow older, all year long, but don't do much screening in winter, so party down where the fence keeps you private.

Enjoy.

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I know this thread is 1 year old and the owner probably sold his townhouse and moved to a houseboat by now. But here's what I would do. 1) Remove every single brick and put them in a pile in that parking lot with a sign that says "free bricks" and a post on Craigslist for anyone to take them. 2) Throw the Crap Myrtles and the Japanese Whatever in the dumpster. Actually, they make good compost. 3) Plant native trees from seed and seedlings like the ones mentioned: Dogwood, Willow, Maple, and Holly. 4) Make sure to weed grasses, herbs, and aliens for the next several years. 5) Keep the soil mulched with whatever you can find. In a handful of years, you should have a nice little patch of woods there. This approach will give the thickest, fastest, cheapest, most guaranteed, longest-lasting, and most resilient vegetation.