Hi! I am zone 7 (Long Island) with a north/slightly west facing home. I am renovating all my landscaping. My style is traditional. The house is a simple center hall white colonial with black shutters. I am in need of two suggestions for my front yard plantings. My foundation garden bed is narrow (only 4-5’ deep).

With respect to the front yard my landscape company suggested doing variegated boxwoods beneath my windows flanked by solid green boxwoods and with a bed of red satin coreopsis in front of them. Beneath my garage windows we are putting purple bloomstruck hydrangeas with a cone shaped boxwood end cap. Between the front windows and the hydrangeas we want to put a taller tree (narrow that can survive in the 4-5’ deep bed). Right now a standard lilac, strawberry and cream standard hydrangea, or coral bark maple are in play. Any other suggestions?

My front lawn used to have a garden bed near the garage that had a beautiful mature weeping blue spruce. The poor thing didn’t survive being transplanted. My landscape company is proposing installing a Natchez Crape Myrtle there with loriape beneath and up lighting. I am alittle nervous that the Natchez will overtake my shallow front lawn but does anyone know if they reach their full height in zone 7? Is there another option for an ornamental tree that tops out around 15’ and looks tidy and interesting?

I have attached photos of the house. Some are old and show prior renovation work - but you can still see the layout of the front yard.