Live Oak gets quite large relative to your lot size. I'm guessing you are in North Texas, so Lou will likely jump in here with Maple recommendations that will work for you. Also, three different trees are specified. The size and shape of your lot might benefit from three of the same tree. You could try checking out nearby landscapes for ideas to see what is done in your area.

Linking to your album works just fine. To put a jpeg inside your post, click on "share" then copy the html code and paste within the message box.

Can you give us some background on what you are looking for in terms of maintenance and appearance of your yard? The plan calls for basic plantings such as ligustrum. Let us know if you are looking for something more unique. Also, which side is north?

Bermuda grass is invasive (Tiff is apparently "less invasive") and will grow into your shrubs. Is bermuda required by your HOA? If all your neighbors have it, then there's not much you can do.

Thank you Rock_Oak_Deer,

The front of home faces north, the rear faces south. So the person entering the home is facing south. Also there are two gates; one on the front (made up of iron grill, so one can see the side-yard) and at back (wooden).

Regarding plants, I had posted my question few days back and have few suggestions that I want to consider. I am looking for low-maintainance, colorful-fragrant perennial varieties (perhaps a wishful thinking. Just so that one knows, the exterior of the house will be pale white stone(bottom half) and pale pink brick (top half).

Burmuda-tiff is perhaps the standard in our community.

I still do not understand how you embedded my image in your post. I give up.

I echo the concerns about the live oak. Live Oaks become massive. I think they will ultimately overpower your landscape and create a deep shade situation. Also, if you think Live Oaks are not deciduous, you are kidding your self. They are just sneaky about it. As the new leaves emerge, the old ones are pushed of. For some trees, it is rather dramatic and seems to happen overnight. Others do it slowly but persistently.

I was in the lawn care business for 15 years. This plan is nothing special. It is what is called in the business the standard contractor pack. It's common, overused, cheap (for the contractor), fast growing and guaranteed to give you maintenance nightmares if you intend to maintain the landscape.

1. Lingustrums are FAST growers and once established, individual shoots can reach your soffit (one story home)in one season if left unchecked. Mature height is around 12-15 feet.

2. Dwarf Buford Holly. Mature height will reach the same as the lingustrums. It is only considered a dwarf relative to a standard Buford. Standard Bufords are medium sized trees. They can grow about 2' a year if healthy and happy.

3. All your shrubbery is considered full sun plants yet shade is going to be on the increase every year.

4. You can get by with eliminating every other plant. Contractors want it to look full and nice for the new owner so they overplant. Eliminate 50% of your shrubs and upsize the remaining 50% to 5 gallon or larger. You'll have an instant landscape look and won't end up with 10lbs of rabbits stuffed in a 5lb hutch 3 years from now.

5. I can not distinguish between the different hybrid Bermuda varieties but I can look at a yard from my truck and tell you weather it is hybrid or common. Within the first year you will find common Bermuda in your turf. Within 5 years it will be substantially transitioning to common Bermuda. The turf managers at the Ballpark in Arlington spent thousands and thousands of dollars to eliminate the common bermuda in left field. They gave up. If they could not do it sparing no expense, no one can. Next time you watch a game, look just past the infield between 2md and third base, you'll be able to see a color difference. Order common and save money.

Some low maintenance perennials I use are
rock rose - blooms profusely all summer with small bright pink hibiscus looking flowers - part sun 3-4' tall.
Flame acanthus - blooms all summer with red flowers hummingbirds love full sun 3-4' tall.
Turks cap - sun to shade - red "turban looking" flowers from late spring to frost - hummingbirds love. 4-5' tall.
Black and Blue salvia - cobalt blue flowers spring to frost - part sun to part shade - hummingbirds love. 3-4' tall. Spreads and can be invasive - depends on conditions I guess.
Mexican bush sage - long slender leaves, blueish/white flowers off an on in spring and fall. 4' tall.
All of these I just cut down to about 6 inches tall after a freeze, and they grow back every spring. That's all I do to them except fertilize once in a while.
Other low maintenance perennials that I use are:
Calylophus, georgia blue speedwell, pigeonberry, geranium sanguineum, winecups, moss verbena, Texas gold columbine, rainlilies.
The way it works in my yard is if they survive pretty much on their own, they get to stay, if they don't they are history. Sometimes you just have to try things and see what you like - that's the fun of gardening.

Mr. Fairview and Ms. Deb

Thank you for the suggestion.

Mr. Fairview,
...you are absolutely correct. This is a builder's contractor..and it seems he has provided a pretty much standard package. However from your experience, is there something that I can request him to do (I absolutely intend to thin out the number of plants and increase their gallon size). And how should I approach him. If I demand more exotic plants, he would turn back and charge additional from me.

Ms. Deb,
I googled the images of the plants you have suggested and it seems few of them actually go very well with my house's exterior. Thank you.

Once again, I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions. It seems that I absolutely know nothing compared to many of you here.

a strong second for fairview's comments about contractors' tendency to overplant in number and in size - pay close attention to the eventual mature sizes of anything you put in the ground - last year, we removed (with great difficulty) a red tip photinia that had been planted only 18 inches from the foundation!!! - those things can grow to be the height of a two story house & have no business being that close to a building

in the same vein, you have crape myrtles on both front corners - make sure they're not too close - they come if different sizes, and some are the size of small trees when mature - and the front left one might be in shade the whole day, which won't go well for a crape myrtle, especially if this is a two-story house - if you're not dead set on symmetry, you might want to consider a japanese maple on that corner - lou can tell you more on that - and once your live oaks fill out, the right front corner will be just as shady and both crape myrtles will be unhappy

also, why are your shade trees on the north/northwest end of the property????? - i strongly suggest you consider a shade tree for the south/southwest end of the backyard - not only will this provide shade for the house, but the a/c compressor will work more efficiently in the shade as well (lower light bill & fewer maintenance visits) - considering the narrowness of the yard, you might want to add another little gem magnolia at the top end (at the wood fence "spot"), then another west of the corner (at the stone fence bed "spot") or similar - or you could scrap the magnolias altogether and plant a couple of live oaks at that corner as you have at the front corner

"know absolutely nothing" - we all come into this world knowing absolutely nothing - each of us were on square one in gardening at some point - i've found gardeners to be quite quick to share information

i forget who made the suggestion, but driving around the neighborhood for ideas is an easy and very relevant way to brainstorm - take a digital camera with you so you can snap portions of yards that you like (or don't like and want to avoid) for later reflection - and don't limit yourself to your immediate neighborhood - i frequently check out neighborhoods of people who are "better off" that i am in order to see what professionally installed and maintained yards look like in hopes of seeing something i can replicate within my own budget and energy

its cool that you're exploring your options now - unless you have an upcoming deadline for the contract/implementation, i'd allow yourself plenty of time to consider various ideas and suggestions - you may surprise yourself in how many times you change your mind - and its pretty d*** hard to move a tree over four inches to the right if you don't like where it's put

~ freshair

Well, you could omit the landscape package from the deal, take a credit or give back on money and hire your own landscaper who is familiar with TX natives. The HOA will not allow you to do it yourself. You will need to show them a contract with a landscaper. It will be more expensive though. There is a reason this contractor is using this sub and a reason why nearly 100% of new tract subdivisions have this same variety of plantings. It is the cheapest out there.

As far as your contractor, you don't really request anything from him. He may seem like your friend right now, but he doesn't give a flip about you. Just try to get him to do something after closing and see how fast he responds of if he responds at all. You simply tell them, 'I don't like what is in this plan, I want this and if you can't do it, I'll find someone who can.' It's that simple. If you are still in the planning stage and haven't put any money down, just walk away from the table. If you just have a deposit down and it is a little money, bring everything to a grinding halt. That builder will come running after you like a puppy with his tail between his legs. If you are nearing completion and this is one of the last things that need to be done before move in, well, just take it like a man and change it out once you've moved in.

Mr./Ms. Freshair,

Thanks a lot for the feedback. The reason for my rant was; I feel anguish that the only things I can offer to this wonderful community are my questions. I have absolutely no knowledge or experience to even suggest something minuscule. I absolutely do not know how to pay it forward.

Just as with any info or advice, you pay it forward in future conversations with friends, neighbors or family when relevant. There's no quid pro quo here. This forum has a wide range of gardeners, from professionals to homeowners, seasoned to newbies, large acreage to small beds in the backyard, and each is interested in learning from and sharing with the others.

Fairview's recent comment is, again, sound.

Keep the questions coming.

~ freshair

You have already offered thanks and appreciation, which is all you need to do here.

As fairview noted, it is not easy to change the standard builder package. You may end up better off if you take the package and customize later. If you change out the plants as soon as you move in, they will transplant easily. You could offer them on Craigslist to someone who needs instant curb appeal.

You do need to check the HOA requirements first because they probably have restrictions. There are areas shown on the plan for annual and perennial color, mostly on the east (shady) side and behind the fence. This does give you options personalize your landscape.

Thanks Y'all

Those were wonderful suggestions...Really made a difference.