Forgot to add - I'm in coastal new england, south facing yard.

What a pretty house and yard (lots of potential there). I am not in your area, but maybe another flowering small tree in the sunny part behind shaded area on the right in your photo.

I have a hedge of Limelights which I adore, but bear in mind they can reach 8' tall. They also like full sun-unusual for Hydrangeas. Maybe three curving from the mailbox toward the Dogwood and behind where your hostas will be next to the driveway. I am not sure I would center the Limelights on the mailbox, but I prefer plants (and most things) arranged asymmetrically. That is just me.

You have a good space to work with there. Have fun with it.

Has your dogwood been hit with Anthracnose?

It might have. It's not looking healthy . It was hidden under that pine I took down and I'm hoping that having more air and space and water will help it bounce back. I'm going to google that disease and see what I can do to help it along. It's a beautiful tree, blooms a pretty peachy color in the spring.

I hope the dogwood recovers for you. They are beautiful in the spring for sure, and yours has a nice shape to it.

If you want Limelights but don't want them so tall, there is a smaller variety called Little Limelight that only gets 3-5'. They tolerate heat and drought once established, but grow best in partial shade.

I agree with your #2 and #4 ideas, but would find a native alternative to periwinkle for a groundcover (periwinkle is generally considered an invasive)— woodland or creeping phlox, Canada anemone, wild strawberry, and possibly wild ginger could likely all work there (might be a bit sunny for wild ginger though). Sweetfern is a native shrub that I’ve used on our hillsides— not a flowerer, but it’s great for soil retention, will spread if you let it, and has interesting texture and great smell.

If you want limelights, consider putting a few on each corner of your house to add some height in those areas. I agree that if you put one by the mailbox, it should be a dwarf variety so you don’t have a tall shrub awkwardly blocking the view of your house/yard.

Other thoughts: that looks like an awfully sunny area to be putting hostas, so you might get leaf scorch or they might become overgrown. If you want a planting area by the mailbox, I’d probably figure out a way to have it extend to the corner where the driveway meets the street.

Overall I think you’re on the right track with some good ideas. And you’ve got a great home and site to work with! I would consider adding some more ornamental trees lining your driveway— maybe eastern redbud, serviceberry, pagoda dogwood, or a flowering crab?

I love Limelights too and have more than half a dozen. I’m not a fan, though, of the proposed full-size Lightlight at the mailbox. It’s much too large and blocks the view of your house from the road. And vice versa. Substitute another hydrangea or three there grouped around the mailbox - there are many dwarf varieties that won’t grow over 3 feet or so.

A mix of hostas and lilies in the same bed sounds odd to me. Here in the midwest, my daylilies want all-day full sun but most of my hostas burn up when in afternoon sun.

Some inspro

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