The bronze coloration in the fall is a trait of the plant and is sought after. A high water table is bad, very bad. It is best to plant in a raised bed in such a situation. But the problem you see doesn't seem to be acidity related or root rot. Low soil acidity causes chlorosis, yellowing of the leaves between green veins. Root rot causes general decline of the entire plant, not just a couple branches. The dieback you see can be caused by borers, or by a summer drought or even some roots in too wet an area. It is best to remove the dying branches and destroy them. If the ground is too moist, replant in a raised bed. Here is a link that might be useful: How to care for rhododendrons and azaleas.

Hi, I live in SW Wisconsin and have had something eating my azaleas in late spring, too. A couple seasons ago whatever- it-is (I suspect it is a caterpillar but I've never found one--they seem to hide during the day)started eating one azalea growing in the shade--last year another azalea was hit. This year by the time I first noticed the damage most of my dozen azaleas were at almost completely defoliated and all of them showed extensive damage. I sprinkled Sevin on the foliage of them all--the white powder looked like crap but did the trick--they put out new foliage. Next year I am going to treat the plants at the first sign of damage on any of them. The insects referred to by the other posters and indeed all the internet sources I've found refer to insects that are confined to the SE US and/or damage Azaleas late in the season, not in the spring just after the leaves emerge. It's unfortunate to have to treat a plant to be able to grow it at all, but azaleas are worth it. If the pest is actually a caterpillar the Bt bacillus is likely to work, too. If you see one of the critters next spring, please post a description.

great stuff, propagation is so rewarding, and theres no way to run out of thing/ways to propagate. I havent heard succulents mentioned here in detail, anyone interested in propagation should invest in some succulents! Ive only been growing plants seriously for a little over 10 years now, theres I dont know, but ive also been selling those plants in one way or another basically the entire time. That make propagation profitable as well as all the great things already mentioned. One of my favorites is good ole jade tree, most any crassula really, many other leafy succulents aswell. When I had all my jades I would defoliate them pretty hard a few times a year, the old leaves would eventually drop any way, it also gave them a nice tree shape. Well id dry em out and lay em on top of the soil, not buried and wait a few weeks. Little pink and white roots would come squirting right out and find their way to the soil. It also providd numerous unique shaped multi stemmed trees that couldnt be made with a typical cutting. Great bonsai material! it would take a few years for em to get up to size, but they did, consistently, and sold, consistently. It was alot of fun to see 100s of tiny plants popin out of severed leaves. it goes on and on with too, the reason they are work so well for it is their ability to retain water, it lets them just sit there until they form new roots. Most plants arent so lucky, neither are most plant owners! A bit off topic but this post has steered a bit towards grafting too, if you havent heard of Axel Erlandson, PLEASE do yourself a favor and check this guys work out! Amazing suff, so long ago.

I don't know what zone you are in. So, taking that into consideration, I can tell you what I would do. Taking what you want into consideration, I would suggest that you stick with evergreens, mainly conifers, and some evergreen shrubs for the "bones" of the design out front. You have to plant something tailored, like an arborvitae on the side of the steps where I can see your utilities, the boxes against the home. They have to be kept clear for you. If you buy and plant some interesting conifers, you can also have some decideous bushes and plants, I love the idea of a planter, and mabey a clematis on your lightpost. Japanese maples get BIG. I have a weeping jap maple, a red one, and it's unbelievable how big they get, and you don't have a lot of room there. Maple roots grow everywhere also, they grow out, away from the tree, towards your foundation. I wouldn't plant one there, mabey if you had more space, but I wouldn't do it. I can't recommend conifers for you because I don't know where you live, but you can look up on Google under conifers and see what you like. They don't bloom, stay green, many are very trimmable, or prunable.