gotsqueeze said:
ok, so I see 4 trees (large shrubs) The first one (looking from far left toward the right) is a large shrub. Toss up-if you like it keep it, if not, whack it out. Doesn't threaten your house and isn't horribly ugly.
2nd is the one I highly suspect is holly. (I would be surprised if that isn't a type of holly) I think it looks ok, might wait a year or two and see what it does-you can always get rid of it later. 3-Silver Maple no doubt would lose this. 4 large shrub (might be the neighbors? can't tell from the pic) again just a preference, I think it looks ok if you want to keep it.
I would start by taking out the maple and then look the yard over and see what it needs from there. The others may look better to your eye then. If it were me, I would take out the row of shrubs along the house. I have never liked the look of those like that. It closes the house off, looks dark and so so many more interesting things to plant in the front that can look SO much nicer. But that depends on how much of a gardener you really are. Some people only want to take care of a shrub. If you like spending more time with your plants, think large rocks, maybe a birdbath under the little holly and then some small flowering shrubs. What direction your house faces will determine what you plant there.
