PIP - Need advice - what would you add?

oak_tree

I want to add a couple of background plants in this flower bed. Then, I will fill in with other flowers, etc. The builder put in the existing plants - I think they are a Camellia, Crape Myrtle and an Otto Luyken Laurel? Those are my best guesses. What suggestions do you have to fill in the two empty spots? The bed gets mostly sun with some shade in the late evening. I'm in zone 7. Thanks!

TarHeels&Rebels

I'd remove everything and start fresh - the shrubs are pretty big and the crepe's a little puny. 

Put something tall and skinny on the outside corner, like a skyrocket juniper.  You want something tall, but not wide, so that it can stand up to your two story house but not block the sidewalk.  For the middle where the crepe is, train Summer Snowflake Viburnum into a tree.  Evergreen Indian hawthorns bloom in pink or white and would be happy in the ground space under the windows - choose a dwarf cultivar.  Fill in with annuals or perennials.

oak_tree

TarHeels&Rebels - I just wanted to update you on what the nursery suggested. It was very close to what you said. They suggested we keep the two shrubs on the ends, add indian hawthornes (4 in that bed) and replace the crepe myrtle with an indian hawthorne tree (I don't remember the name of it). Then we can fill in with perennials/annuals.

They also suggested the indian hawthornes for our other two beds that we're putting in this weekend.

Then, they suggested a bright and tight cherry laurel go in a couple of the corners. I think it's going to look so much better. I'll post pictures when we're finished. It looks terrible right now!

Anyway, thanks for the advice. I'm going to ask them about the summer snowflake viburnum trained into a tree as well.

TarHeels&Rebels

Neat   I don't think I've been confirmed by a professional before

I did look up Bright and Tight Cherry Laurel because I'd never heard of it.  Do you know it's a full-on tree that gets 40ft tall and 25ft wide??    http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PRUCARB.pdf  If they meant the corners of your house, I think they misspoke.

oak_tree

TarHeels&Rebels:

Neat   I don't think I've been confirmed by a professional before

I did look up Bright and Tight Cherry Laurel because I'd never heard of it.  Do you know it's a full-on tree that gets 40ft tall and 25ft wide??    http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PRUCARB.pdf  If they meant the corners of your house, I think they misspoke.

Hmmm ... I'm off to check on this That would be too large!

oak_tree

That doesn't look like the tree they had at the nursery. I'll have to look at the name again when I get home this evening. It was a very narrow, tall tree.