What a lovely home. It’s not bare. It’s perfect.

It’s lovely, no additional trees needed! You could fill in with some flowering perennials if you wish.

For a house this size, a crepe myrtle will do nothing but emphasize 'this house is ENORMOUS'. It is SO BIG, that trees are dwarfed by its overwhelming presence. So the flanking trees should be species that eventually will be taller than the house.

Several years ago, someone had a similar house with too small trees on either side. I wish I had saved the picture. It was a real problem, since the existing trees were very nice - mature magnolias IIRC. However, the house dwarfed them, and they would have had to be removed for the proper sized trees to have been planted.

Thank you! We were sad to see the trees go but they weren't in great shape and were messing with the gutters and retaining wall. 

There are SOOO many deer here! All of the flowers on the right side were eaten night before last. I'm a terrible gardener so I'll need to look into what to put to discourage that activity before I put more out.

Thanks again!

Another thought/question... on the right side should we put some sort of bushes near the retaining wall? 4 small kids and 2 dogs, I want to discourage any of them playing in that space

Go to your local nursery (not big box garden center). They will be able to recommend some deer resistant species. Also, I swear by non toxic Havahart Critter Ridder spray.

I wouldnt recomment crepe myrtles. they are messy, need to be trimmed annually and properly or look like ”crepe murder” and once you want to remove them are impossible to kill because of all the suckering. if you want a tree id go with something native like a nice maple (red or sugar) or oak or gum (variety without the seeds) but these need to be planted a good distance from the house. Smaller ones are redbud, dogwood, and alamchier.

I’m gonna agree with Stephanie….do NOT get crepe Myrtles. I have them by my main walkway going up to my front entrance. They are truly beautiful and have a gorgeous form, but they do make a horrible mess…the petals drop everywhere for a very long time while they’re in flower. I have to blow my walkway every single morning and sometimes twice a day just to keep things looking tidy. As a lawn tree they work much better because the petals simply fall into the grassy areas, but near a front entrance or your brick pathway, they will truly be a messy nuisance.

I'd plant hollies at the corners of the house since they're evergreen and highly prunable.

May be some flowering trees such as crepe myrtle or similar?

@Celery. Visualization, Rendering images….NO CREPE MYRTLES!! Especially where all the petals would fall on her front walkway. I have them in a similar set up….they are beautiful, but they are very messy trees for a walkway area and a nuisance to keep area beneath them clean.

Camellias would make very suitable replacements for the trees.

Beautiful home.

Are these the areas you’re talking about (to replace trees)?

Where are you located? 7b can mean different things in different areas. Is your soil on the acidic side?

If I’m correct about placement in the above pictures, I think Crape Myrtles would be a great choice … especially white ones. There are so many sizes and varieties to consider, and they’d bring in nice color. You have plenty of large trees and other mature plantings around that a CM would not look dwarfed here … the balance would be fine, and it’s a classic look with this style of house and yard.

For other suggestions, need more info as to growing conditions.

Hi Jinx! I'm in Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. Yes, those 2 spots are where the trees were removed. Thank you!

@Christopher CNC . I had to look up Camellia. I knew it was a flower but didn't realize how tall they could get!

Jordan, will they eat the trees? Here's a picture of some of them across the street. I think that yard has some apple trees!

I don't think I have a preference between evergreen and deciduous so long as the roots don't bust through the basement ceiling or retaining wall. 

I'm not sure when the trees were planted

There are hundreds of cultivars of camellias from small to large, fall or spring blooming, in all kinds of colors and flower forms. They are handsome evergreen shrubs that speak to the location and architecture of your house. There is a camellia that will fit the space you have to work with. I bet there is a good nursery near you with plenty to choose from. The deer are another matter.

Oh wow, you're in NC, that's great because you have so many good choices. Please do choose an evergreen so your property will look as beautiful in winter as it does in summer. Christopher is an experienced professional gardener who lives and works in NC so I'll defer to his judgement.

PS: deer like to eat the leaves and twigs of apple trees. Hopefully yours are tall enough that the deer can't reach them.