Thanks for the update, Hunter. The conflict between advice-givers is something of an overflow from other threads where two styles of advice-giving conflict. Enough said. But what is important for you to know is that no one of us speaks for the forum or gives advice that reflects the collective opinion of the forum, even if our advice does have a cumulative effect, and as an advice-seeker it is up to you to sort out what works for you and not let yourself be talked into doing anything you don't want to do. If you read other threads here you might begin to recognize patterns in how different people participate - as you were obviously quick to do with the first response you got on this thread! So I have no problem with you not wanting to do hardscape. Your job is to do what makes your mom happy, probably within the confines of good design. But insofar as you might learn a bit about options while you're here, I'll expand on how I might use hardscape if I were doing this (although I'm an amateur at this, not a pro). I think I would begin thinking with the eventual model of either a millstone - imagine it sort of laid on top of the bottom round bed and disappearing into the hillside or something to do with a spiral (Fibonacci?) married to that image. I would vary the height - high at the house and at the bottom, tapering to nothing at the front of the bed going up the hill. The millstone shape, made up of separate rocks, would be set in from the edge of the bed by at least 8 inches - stones put right by the concrete create an awkward crack to weed. The stones would maybe be set apart somewhat so that plants can tumble down between them as well as grow above and below. And your tree would be placed within that circle, but not centred in it. There are many qualifiers here - one is whether hardscape is a desired theme for the rest of the property, and the other is whether your mom likes rock, or whatever you might use. Another is cost - and also, if you go collecting stone from nature or craigslist, you have to work with what you get. There are also variants - you could make it quite high at the back with multiple levels so you get a mini-cliff-face look from the driveway, with ferns dripping down it. Depends how much room you need for car doors. I think I would also angle off the sharp corner of the bed. If it's 90 degrees, a triangular paving stone in that corner would do it; if it's less than 90, you cold look for a piece of flagstone that fits. Finally, nothing wrong with a $5 gallon pot of liriope - you can divide it into as many clumps as it will yield. You don't have to plant "by the pot." I hope you'll keep us posted as you progress. Karin L

Stan, How much space do you have? Do you have pictures you could post? One of the main things to consider in designing is how do you want to use the space. For example, would you like to have a secluded sitting area, a place for outdoor dining, an open area for the dog to run? When I moved a couple of years ago the first thing I wanted to work on was getting trees and shrubs started to attract birds. My next priority was planting around the property line in the back to give the yard some privacy. I tried to select trees and shrubs that would both provide screening and attract and shelter the birds I miss from my last garden. It took a while for my mind to "see" what to do with the rest of the space but I now have the beginnings of a 40' diameter circle for flowers and shrubs/small trees with an open area of lawn in the center of it and a grass pathway lined with plantings that will eventually lead to the little storage building I plan to have someday. What are your priorities for your space?

Lauren: You wrote "... because I already have so many beds to maintain as it is". It doesn't sound as if you need to add another 30 feet+ to your maintenance schedule. The paver wall and the grass behind look to be in decent shape. If you want to add a bit of interest, perhaps consider just a small grouping in one area as a focus. Go with the combo you mentioned but make just a modest sized bed of your ornamental grass, russian sage, and creeping juniper. Let the vast majority of the wall and grass remain.

Dogwoods, sweetbay magnolia, fringe tree and viburnum shrubs all can give you that beautiful white-flowered understory.