Hello.
I've been reading the posts for awhile, and most everyone here has so much
knowledge, so I thought I'd post my questions and see what ideas you may
have.

We moved into a new house last summer (upstate NY). The lawn was seeded and
came up surprisingly well - the soil is shale with many many dumpsters full
of topsoil over it! We're looking to landscape this spring/summer and are
on a budget, so will be doing it ourselves. The lot is roughly 110 feet
wide, 190 feet deep (with about 15 feet in the back left "wild" for a
privacy barrier). A few young natural trees (some birch, one pine, a couple
maples). We had the builder put in 3 fairly-good sized blue spruces in the
front. House faces north.

Looking for a combination of relatively low maintenance flowering plants
where we will have something blooming pretty much from spring through fall.

Front of the house has a bay window on one side and a corner window-seat on
the other. Looking for some ideas for shrubs / small trees to place in the
front. Siding is gray, so I think there are many colors that will work.
Has anyone heard of a weeping fig tree? Someone recommended that, I thought
a dwarf one would be nice below the corner with the window seat. Not sure
what to do under the bay window.

Back of the house is pretty much open. There's a natural short & fat pine
tree in the center of the back yard. The southeast corner of the lot in the
back does not have the natural barrier, and there is a small slope to the
lot, so it gets quite moist. I'd like something that will grow big in a
short amount of time so as to provide privacy. I've heard willow trees are
messy, but I really like the looks of them. Any thoughts? What about
dogwoods?

Last question: Family members have Roses of Sharon and Lilac that have been
in the family for years. It would be nice to transplant some shoots for
sentimental reasons (and of course they are beautiful). Not sure where
they'd be good. Also, we're considering a herb garden, but not sure on
location. Vegetable garden a possibility also.

Any thoughts would be most appreciated. I realize this is quite lengthy and
appreciate your taking the time to read through it!

:-)