I would remove any suckers now.

Don't prune the azaleas or rhodos now or you will cut off spring blooms. You should be able to see the blooms buds already formed now on those plants. Prune them immediately after flowering in the spring.

A good smaller tree choice is Serviceberry, Amelanchier is the scientific name. Birds love the berries but they are not messy. If you can find it, Sourwood (Oxydendron) is nice choice, unique flowers, outstanding fall color. I assume this is a full sun area? Crepe myrtle also, but that can be a bit overused. The native Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) has very unique blooms but just so-so fall color (not ugly, but not outstanding).

Not sure if my azaleas or rhodos bloomed in the spring (bought the house in June) but some of the plants bloomed and still have flowers a few weeks ago.

And yes, it will be in full sun. Do Cherry blossoms or dog woods do well in this area? How are their root systems?

Both, Cherry & Dogwood trees do well in this area and produce an outstanding spring showing of flowers when grown in full sun. I grow 2 species of Dogwood, Cornus floridus (Native) & Cornus kousa (Asian). Many varieties are locally available. Cornus floridus have a near surface, matted root system that discourages growth of most other perennial plants. My C. kousa's aren't old enough to have presented a problem.
Only grow one type of Cherry, a Weeping (shidarezakura) type, Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula' and have no problem growing anything underneath those.
Here's a link to the various types of Japanese Cherry trees.
Some of these are very popular in landscapes here.
Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Cherry Trees

Yes, cherries do well, but their root systems can be a bit in the way. Would not recommend having grass under them. If you decide you want one there (or elsewhere), I'd recommend 'Yoshino'; they can also get pretty wide. The autumn flowering cherry is nice, but doesn't bloom as heavily (Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'). I think it blooms a little in the spring as well as the fall.

Dogwoods are fine if you can give them full morning sun but protection from the harsh afternoon sun. They are considered "understory" trees and generally like to grow under oaks and other bigger trees.

If the azaleas bloomed a few weeks ago, it is possible they are the ones that bloom several times a year (one trade name is 'Encore'). I would still recommend waiting to prune in the spring, but if you have a few stray branches that need to be controlled, you can trim those.

By the way, if you can get the trees now then you can go ahead and plant them around here. While selection might not be the best, you might be able to wrangle some bargains from places that have been dying to sell plants for many months now!

First, on the birch and bradford pear. The Bradford was way overused and is prone to real splitting problems after about 15 years or so. Do prune the heck out of it by taking out limbs/branches all the way up the tree so that you are "thinning" the tree. On the birch, it really depends on what kind it is, most likely River Birch and usually needs trimming to avoid mess from breakage.
Second, what everyone else said on the azaleas. Prune after flowering in the Spring.
On the tree selections, I'd second the Yoshino recommendation and I'm shopping for something around 3" caliper right now. Now is the absolute perfect time to plant trees in Atlanta. Far better than Springtime. If you go for a dogwood, consider the tried and true Cherokee Princess. A non-flowering tree worth considering is the Lace Bark Elm. It's not big like the Elms of times past, and it's got very interesting exfoliating bark. Whatever you get, remember that what kills most plants/trees here in Atlanta is not the sun. It is lack of drainage in our clay soil. Do not plant anything deeper than it was in the nursery, and I plant everything more shallow than it was, always the root ball a little above ground and then mound your soil mixture around it in a saucer shape to catch the water but let it drain.

I just bought my house and the azaleas are way overgrown and leggy. They haven't been pruned in years, so should I cut them back now (Oct 9) or wait until after they bloom in spring? What about fertilizing in fall?

Second, I need to trim a large limb on a beautiful old pink dogwood that is overhanging a neighbor's roof. We both love the tree and don't want to damage it. There are some dead branches at the end, but otherwise it is healthy. We could continue to just trim the smaller branches closest to her roof regularly or take down the entire limb. Does anyone know if it would jeapordize the tree to do this? Should I hire a professional?

Any advice on trimming an old Pecan tree? The limbs are huge and I love it and just want to keep it healthy.

elaineycabaney,

I can recommend an arborist that helped me in another thread. See post about 'Your oak is diseased, $1K for me to remove'.

I'm sure there are several good and honest tree companies and arborist out there, this particular company provided a quick appointment and a free consultation.

You can check them out at kudzu.com. Not sure if it is against the rules for recommending a service provider but moderators please edit my post if I am. Bob from 404 cut tree was great and saved me money and my tree.

Azaleas flower on old wood. If you want them to bloom next spring, cut them back in May.

You can also plant Crape myrtles in place of the larger trees. They do well in spite of the heat we get here. They can be limbed up as they grow. I would avoid anything in the genus Prunus, as they are not drought tolerant and are prone to galls.