With respect to the front bed, I'm on side with removing the tree. The trunks really only look good from one angle, and from the other angles it's not a real beauty. And when it comes to suckers, I have very low tolerance! But what really bugs me in that bed is the shrubs, and I would totally rip them out as well and use that space to create a lower profile flowering garden. My urge is to open the space visually. If you want a tree, I don't see that it has to be in the bed; it could be closer to the front of the property. With the long narrow bed, if liriope will make you smile, you're a pretty happy person :-) it takes more to get a smile out of me, I'm afraid! But in these long narrow beds against a wall, it is often about what will grow the way you want, rather than about what we like, and I admit I've got a long and troubled history with trying to grow more interesting things in a bed like this, because almost anything tall (anything deciduous in particular) will always be snaking away from the wall toward the light. As a general rule, evergreen material will grow much more reliably upright even when the light is one-sided. So from a maintenance and looking tidy perspective, you could do a lot worse than a row of liriope, daylilies, or annuals. So much depends on what kind of a gardener you are; how much effort you want to go to to choose and source plants and so on, and then what kind of maintenance you want to do. For example, what would look quite spectacular along this wall, and go with the somewhat manicured impression that the house itself makes, would be an assortment of specialty conifers and evergreens, the type that are narrow and slow growing, either upright or weeping or just narrow by nature (or even spiralled or otherwise topiaried), either just mulched or dressed up with colourful lower-growing plants. But those plants you have to go hunting for, and it takes some work to arrange them. And then there's the option of containers (on gravel or mulch) and/or wall art. Or vines on trellises, that would require you to tuck them all the time and then clear them in winter. It all depends on what kind of work you want to do initially and ongoing. But what about the area along the fence? You might be able to create a more generous bed there. You can certainly borrow light from across the fence, and if you can also borrow airspace above the fence, then some small trees might even work. KarinL

aggierose, I really love Giant Lirope - it is truly foolproof - it is taller and gives a graceful look to a bed. I have used it in pots in front of my brick garage [with a concrete oriental statue attached to the wall]. The pots are sitting on river rock - very carefree and tidy and it has a bit of a formal look to it which I like. NO care except to water. I will try to get a few photos to show you tomorrow. The Little Pinkie indian hawthorne is something new I am trying. I dont much care for the bigger version, though it is used alot. So far, I like Little Pinkie...it is staying small, stays green and is blooming now. If you want to take out the azaleas and cant decide on what to put there.....try the Giant Lirope. If you dont like it later on.....its super easy to dig out and grows fast and it is a plant you can use anywhere. As I mentioned, I love it in pots. If you wanted to use roses.....I have become very fond of white in a landscape. I adore the look of white bridal wreath against the green spring grass.....that is fleeting however so I am collecting white roses to mimic the look. I love the Pioneer rose Old Baylor - just got one on my visit to Antique Rose Emporium. Since that area gets sun....white might look nice there, and it could play off the eves of your house. Sunny Knockout roses are also good - start out yellow, fade to creamy white. I have a pair at my front door that are eyecatching even though my house is well off the road. Purple Angelonia is extremely heat tolerant and blooms all summer - a bunch of that would look great, and peach and lavender are gorgeous together, so would look good with the Drift roses. I got so fed up with the heat killing everything last summer that I did some experimenting and made a list of plants that would thrive in the broiling sun - angelonia was one of the top survivors. Massing one or two colors to me makes a bigger impact. I do my deck in all purples and lavenders [all potted plants] and it never fails to wow everyone. Your house is lovely - doubt you could go wrong with anything you planted! Judith

Shari, I have caryopteris Longwood Blue--I can't stop it, every place a branch touches the ground it roots a new plant. I cut it to the ground every year and it does great. It is on a hillside so the soil drains. The same with Homestead purple verbena, I give TONS of it away and I have been transplanting it around my yard. It will overtake ME if I stand in one place long enough! :-D It is real simple to grow. Don't cut back the plant until at least March, the dead stuff helps it overwinter. I cutback my caryopteris the same time. I confess, I can't grow zinnias. Mine always look sick. I know they don't like overhead watering. But I have tried them in pots too and they still look sick.

Tropicals are way out of my area in all senses but might it be a Polyscias? P fruticosa perhaps?