Here are the descriptions to go with the numbers of what is planted where.

Proposed bed lines, some pines removed.. South bed has 3 Juniperus Silicicola on each side of possibly used Arizona cypress 'blue ice'.

Joe, I was just west of you house hunting last week. Was surprised to see

flowering quince in bloom. Didn't know they bloomed this early.

camellias were also in bloom. One house had a huge qumquat (sp) that

was in bloom. Didn't find a home so plan to build. Some roses were also still in bloom.

have fun with your garden

roll tide

jo

Joe, I'm confused about your layouts. Are the first two what you have currently and the last two are what you are planning? The first two have a lot of big trees drawn in, but I don't see those in the overhead picture - are they there now? If so, are you planning to remove some?

atmos - Everything is still in place right now. Had some unexpected workload increase and haven't been able to sit down much. Really considering 3 or so betula nigra for the south fence now. Great lepidoptera tree, supporting over 400 different types best I recall, not to mention birds. Saw a downy woodpecker on a betula nigra 'Heritage' last week and reminded me of them.

I'd like to keep at least a couple pines for diversity, but can't be too many with the diversity I'm going for.

Joe, which picture is the currently existing? Which picture is the plan? You have so many posted it's hard to tell what's going on.

The first image is current planting. It will not show the edit button until after the first two posts, or I would delete the extra images.

A comment on cryptomeria 'Black Dragon' -- I've grown a number of different cryptomeria, but that one (I had three) never performed well. I know the slender form is a real draw, but it may look the same size for 5 years. Mine never took off and were always around 6 feet high and 2 wide. Difficult in a windy area to keep upright. You may have to support those for awhile.

Thanks for sharing that. I'm not concerned about keeping it, but the giokumo cryptomerias would provide some shelter and are supposed to do very well and are vigorous. If I don't keep the dragons, after seeing some larger ones, no loss IMO. The whole Asian plant idea seemed nice last spring, but my area needs more native things to support migratory birds, butterflies, etc., as well as the fact I love to watch them.

Landscape Launch Pad

I'm a Registered Landscape architect and I offer a service in which I think you might be interested. If you'd like to see what I can offer, head over to Landscape Launch Pad or email me personally to discuss.

"You've got mail"

Alright folks, this is a canned service he provides, nothing close to what I need. He provides a drawing where he picks plants for a 10x20 area for $49. If you're looking for a landscape plan, or wanting an ecosystem, etc., this is not for you.

Not sure what I will be doing or where the folks are that asked me to give them the layout of what is currently planted, etc, but looks like I'm on my own.

Sorry for not following up sooner after asking for clarification. I'm not an expert, and it's really hard to give advice on such a large area with many plants just based on the plans you posted. Maybe you could break it down into smaller areas/projects and post them individually? That seems to work better in this forum. From what I can see, if you really have that many large evergreens, then it seems like you should remove some to make room and light for the other plants. I also think grouping into beds is a good idea rather than having them scattered around the yard.

Have you tried finding a landscape architect or designer to work with locally?

I couldn't imagine creating a habit without a landscape plan, not now. A while back, sure and it would've failed miserable. I have no doubt some folks can do it, not me though.

I agree with that. It really helps to have someone who can analyze and visualize the space as a whole. I have a landscape plan for my yard that I am trying to implement gradually. It was originally a basic plan from a design/build firm, but I've gotten additional input on specific areas from other designers and made more changes myself. It still needs tweaking and I'm sure will evolve over time, but at least it gives me a general framework to work in. The trick is to find someone near you who you work well with and who shares (or at least gets) your vision. This is not easy in my experience. I would look carefully at their previous work (by visiting if possible), ask lots of questions (figure out what's most important to you, first), and get as good an idea as you can of what their recommendations will be (with preliminary sketches or if not then verbally) before you hire someone. Good luck! I hope you show us plans and pictures as they develop.