karmahappytoes said: Arico,
I would go with different Ornamental trees and away from the house so you don't have root issue at the foundation. Living in the Evergreen State here, I'll tell you
they are a huge mess!! I spend most of my day dealing with the issues our neighboring trees cause. I'd do a lot of flower beds and less lawn too!

Evergreen trees can be a huge problem with neighbors. Even during the currant ice/snow storm many large 80 foot evergreen trees along with large deciduous trees have fallen. Weather they are evergreen or deciduous trees it is the responsibility of the home owner to keep them pruned and sailworthy for wind and winters. The trees I cannot reach to trim I call professional tree trimmers who come with cherry pickers and buckets to maintain our trees. I have a large 2 acre garden , no neighbors to contend with, however I don't like losing any of my trees that I planted from seedlings that have grown to nice shade trees. Prevention to maintain cross branches in trees is protection thru some hard winters we have in my neck of the woods.

Literally there is a wooded area next door with lots of different trees evergreen and deciduous trees to help keep our air clean and provide homes for many wild animals and birds. It's a choice to plant trees in gardens , evergreen or deciduous even small dwarf maple trees or many other choices for dwarf trees. The needles and leaves from the wooded area next door blow in our gutters a constant clean out issue in fall.

Some areas have 'Homeowners Association's which have restrictions on what can be planted in neighborhoods etc. In my case no restrictions here.

There have been a few trees I have had to eliminate over the years… omg ….never plant a 'Queen Ann Linden' , the messiest tree I have ever had the pleasure of taking down.

That is all part of the garden learning experience weather it be annuals, perennials,
bulbs , vines , shrubs or trees. It's always something.

karmahappytoes said: Arico,
I would go with different Ornamental trees and away from the house so you don't have root issue at the foundation. Living in the Evergreen State here, I'll tell you
they are a huge mess!! I spend most of my day dealing with the issues our neighboring trees cause. I'd do a lot of flower beds and less lawn too!

I don't think roots will be an issue here. We have a solid, poured concrete basement one foot thick. But I didn't plan on planting anything too big too near the house anyway; just to be sure. But also because of the leaves... 20ft tops
As for evergreens, the plan was to keep them small and low; more like foundation planting around the deciduous trees

So far the 'go for variety' camp is winning

Hooray!
It'll look fantastic. Your walkways you've laid out add a lot of 'orderliness' that will compliment the variety.

bumplbea,

Homeowners' Associations are a joke here. The lot to the north of us has over 20 trees on a small lot and we are watching them die. I dealt with the HO whom stated they would sue us for taking the bagged leaves back to the owner after they called the sheriff and we were told by the owner that when we return them to bag them. Then the owner returns them to us and he calls the sheriff again. It's a joke and according to the County we need to take them to court if they trash our yard.
I just love them saying it's a act of nature so deal with it. Our insurance company saids it's not and we are doing all we can to save our property. It appears we are going back to court again! They just don't care about their trees and the damage it causes properties around them. If you hire someone to trim your trees, hire companies with a license arborist! Also learn about their root systems, we have had to remove roots several times due to the roots have raised our fence. We currently have roots some 10 feet into our property that are killing our shrubs.
For 20 years we have had limbs come down and take out our fence, those were 80 foot fir trees that we watched sway in the wind and weren't properly cared for. Trees of that nature are dangerous. Why would any one plant forest trees on a small lot is just mind boggling. But folks do and they don't do any research on what they will be come! Ornamental trees are the route to go and with proper care can remain smaller. The only evergreen we have as a weeping one!
Arico, best of luck!! Hope you find what works for you.

Holiday greetings.. karmahappytoes..

Yes 👍 weeping evergreens are a good choice. The pics I presented from my winter garden were simply examples of the color of different evergreen shrubs and small trees that are available for winter interest.

I have watched many pro tree trimmers tackle removing huge 60-80 ft evergreen trees just inches from houses in WA. & OR. on YouTube. Even trees that have been topped or trimmed which grow to resemble octopus limbs, limbs diseased & mis-shapen.

There are a lot of HOA issues.Some are back firing as demonstrated in the new reality documentary below. True story.
This documentary on Apple+, 'Twas the Fight before Xmas. 'Twas a real Stunner!
How far this HOA managed to get wrapped up in x-mas lights just to protect their neighborhood from a lawyer who newly moved in and informed the HOA he was going to do a Chevy Chase Xmas light display and totally twisted….Well..See Trailor below…

''Twas the fight before Xmas"
https://youtu.be/_lf_mh7jSrs

It's always something. Since this recent Arctic Blast the garden is covered in ice and pretty much squished. It's amazing how it all rises like "The Phoenix",by Spring.

bumplbea said:''Twas the fight before Xmas"
https://youtu.be/_lf_mh7jSrs

How Fun!

Not sure how people are getting sucked into these HOA deals...

Seems insane that we allow ourselves to be dictated to... Where they can (and have) call the law to come in and put people in handcuffs while their fruit trees are cut down and veggie patches mowed... Sick.

Stone…

stone said:Not sure how people are getting sucked into these .

I wasn't sure how the HOA's start or how they are implemented or enforced. I never lived in a HOA inforced neighborhood. So I looked it up .

Definition by google…
"The homeowners vote for a board of directors to run the HOA. The board chooses the community's features and services, collects monthly fees to pay for those things, and sets and enforces community rules. The HOA lists those rules in a document called a Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions"
Sometimes a homeowner's association is formed by a developer and pertains to a specific subdivision or project. The association provides the framework for the
future ….
The declaration is usually presented when purchasing the property to the new home owner before the sale is closed.

I can understand HOAs for condos, they're a necessary evil for the upkeep of the entire building, snow removal, lawn care, etc. But I'd avoid moving into any single home residence that is part of an HOA like the plague. I think a lot of them came into being by developers an of an area. Makes me wonder if they continue to get a fee back from them forever and ever into the future.

bumplbea is correct they were inacted by developers and usually have a management company formed to make sure all comply. Up under the management is a board of directors and this also eases up the complaints to Code Enforcement. Most areas them have a Neighborhood Association also to get information out to the public.

The associations are only as good as its residents make them. It's about control!!

It's not about control, it's about people who want to make sure they don't end up living next to a trailer park, barnyard animals, or home-turned-business with lots of traffic, unkempt lawns, daycare center, whatever the restrictions might be. The goal is to keep the property values from falling due to unsavory atmosphere. They vary per neighborhood. Not all HOAs operate the same way. Some don't have any teeth, no enforcement mechanism, because there is no supervisory entity. Some collect dues, some don't. Some maintain lawns, landscaping, common areas like a pool or green space, some do nothing @ all. Nobody buys a property without being informed of the restrictions, unless the pros involved don't do their job. That's part of what you pay for in all those closing fees. If it's new construction, it's probably in an HOA neighborhood.