Viewing post #2707020 by ceriano

plasko20 said: There is no rule that you absolutely have to be symmetrical.
It is your yard. You are the artist and it is your canvas. Plus things in pairs never grow at the same rate anyhow so you would end up with one bigger than the other which would annoy you.
I like cherry trees (and Japanese maples) as I love the Japanese garden look, myself.
They can definitely be pruned into shape, depending on which you have (there are so many) they will be fine. Not sure if you would call it formal, but there is one I like called Amanogawa (a.k.a flagpole). It is narrow and upright. Good for tight spaces, but the blooms are more white than pink. But I do like visiting the Kwanzan cherry trees in the park (too big for my yard) as they have doubled-blooms so they really pop. Autumn cherry blooms twice a year (so more bang for your buck), once in spring then again in fall. However, also too big for me.
I like your planning and thinking.
One practical thing to bear in mind is that some types of trees will seek out your water main or sewage line and try and invade roots into it. I forget which types are nuisance trees, but some can be. Not sure if that patch of your yard covers any important pipes.

I found a guy that's willing to cut a mulch bed for $350 bucks. So that's an option. I thought it'd cost a lot more.
Now I need to decide on the shape and where the hedges would go. Curved cuts don't look very formal.