What creates the 4' deep bed constraint and is there any flexibility? How high does the damage reach; is that siding damage above the windows?! Can a mid-sized tree be placed out in the area between the road and building? Are deer an issue?

There aren't a lot of budget friendly fastigiate trees that won't get wider than 7', the maximum space you would have if you planted at the outer edge of the bed and left a foot of space between the tree and the wall to reduce possibility of further damage.

The 4' deep is flexible. That's where we have our September block party and the buffet is set up against that wall. That grass area is the flattest and shadiest section in the complex. Perfect for the elders for gatherings. A tree would not work. We don't want to lose too much lawn.

The siding damage is only the lowest 2 clapboards (but I think a replacement section is 4-clapboards tall)

The mowing equipment is what did the damage in the past (every year creating more damage too... argggghhhh). They were told to steer clear and only use the string trimmer but too much personnel turnover. I think string trimmers caused some damage too. The exposed foundation is quite short. I don't envision further damage once there's a bed there.

There are deer in the larger vicinity but they have never ventured near here. A nearby neighbor had 3 green giants that never were touched.

Thanks. Those are nice plant choices. My biggest dilemna is where to put a tall narrow plant (s) with those windows. How many and where? My favorite number is 3, but I don't see an obvious placement. Will 1 do the trick for a vertical element?

My 2nd dilemna (my whole gardening life!) is to narrow the plant choices. If left to my own devices I would have one of everything. Ha Ha! That's always been my challenge. Your list gets my juices flowing and I want all of them. The more I limit my choices, the better it seems to come out.

I doubt I will be able to sell adding a real tree to the mix. However, if you look closely at the corner of my front bed, you will see a baby Acer Griseum. Perhaps I can exaggerate that rounded corner of my bed to extend to the side bed and move the paperbark over to be the end tree behind the weigela. It might connect the front and the side.

Is this the end of your home/condo? Do you like what you see out of the windows? If not, plant between the window and the unsightly view. I honestly can't see placement of any tall thin plant against that wall; I think it would look kind of silly, but that is just my opinion. If you want something medium height consider at the front corner, and round the bed outward, at the back corner and expand the bed there also. The put a medium, chubby shrub along that empty space and gently curve the bed wider there. There just aren't a lot of taller or even medium height plants that will stay skinny enough for your suggested bed width there, which is why I mostly suggested shorter ones. I guess you could get an obelisk and grow some mid-height clematis up the center, but I honestly wouldn't want the taller plants any more than double the height of the shorter ones.

For the vertical element, why not use a climber? Rose, clematis, Virginia creeper, honeysuckle, ivy, just to name a few. For the 3 placement, do 1 on the left side of each window, so that 2 would be at the lowest part of the gable, and 1 at the center. I would continue the shrubs you have in the front garden along the side, maybe with a few additions.

I was working on this sketch but it does look awfully busy. Back to the drawing board. I was thinking Plant D might be something like a serviceberry or species dogwood. Plant A is a single tall evergreen. Could I put the serviceberry in the center of the bed or centered under the peak and totally ignore the window placement? and scratch the tall evergreen.

hmmm.. it came out very light. Not sure if you can see it.

Enlarged it reads fine. And I personally don't think it's too busy since a lot of those plants repeat and your multiples will grow into larger clumps. You will be hard pressed to find something like a serviceberry or species dogwood that will fit in that space for D. They are just too wide. For sizes of plants, I use the MOBOT Plant Finder as they are far more accurate than the typical plant sizes given by nurseries or breeders of 5 or at most 10 years. Just fill in the parts of the form that are important to you and leave everything else blank for general suggestions. For info on particular plants, type in the scientific name.

Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder

the reason the dogwood came to mind is that my neighbor has one that I am noticing so much this time of year. It seems narrow-ish. I once had a serviceberry that I pruned into a multi-stemmed small narrow tree. But maybe its not so small many years later.

Darn, darn darn! they found siding that matches. It's pretty good even to my critical eye --- about a 98% match.

I could still request installing a bed there, but it would be at my total expense. Not sure I want to invest $ into common area, but now that I've begun the thought process, I really want one. I would have to scale it down a lot for my budget, but that wall really needs something. Even a 15' row of 3 med-large rhodies (builder style!) along the center would be better than that blankness. I could work on the ends over time - maybe.

I still am thinking I want 4-5' height for the scale of the wall rather than small. Quickfire in my experience does get that big. That might be nicer choice than rhodies, but evergreen also has its appeal for year-round.

What would you pick for large shrub there (3 of the same item)?

Little QF gets that big and my regular QF is probably 7', well over my head.