Looking back when we first bought this house, I don't remember taking much notice of the yard.  I was so happy to find a home with real closets I think I just figured we could take our time with the outside once we got settled.

We moved in at the end of June and sometime around the 4th of July I had my husband outside hacking away at the multitude of yew bushes that were planted far too close to the foundation and pruned flat on top (so much for taking our time).  Not that I have a problem with yew bushes in general, in fact, I think they can be quite pretty.  But unless you prune them correctly (thinned not sheared) and give them plenty of air, you can end up with a shrub all brown and dead looking in the middle and overly thick and green on top.  

I really don't know why home owners shape their evergreens into boxes, triangles, and globes.  Most shrubs (holly, boxwood, etc) have a lovely natural shape and to make them into something more formal doesn't really enhance your house and yard, unless, of course, you live in a palace (and, if you are reading this, I suspect you don't).  I've come to think that homeowners resort to these shapes as they are unsure of what else to do, or have hired some lawn care company that descends upon their lawns like a S.W.A.T. team with one goal: to get the job done as quickly as possible with the fewest number of casualties.

Once the yew bushes were gone we were left with the task of replacing the foundation plantings with something more interesting.  Over the years I have purchased a few basic gardening books to help with decisions such as these.  Sometimes I abide by the advice of the book of choice, and other times I just buy the discounted "orphan" shrub at the nursery as it's cheap, knowing that one day, with a little care, it may be healthy and vigorous, and, if not, I can pull it out without any regret.

The "pull it out without any regret" method of gardening is what I call the "no mercy" rule of thumb.  Whenever I used to ask my Dad about whether or not something should be given more time to perform, or whether I should place a plant in a particular location he would always say, "if you don't like it. pull it out and throw it away".  This advice I rarely ever take, I have a incessant need to "save" every plant like they are little lost lambs, but if you find yourself dissatisfied with where something is and there is no other place to relocate it, and you can't pawn it off by shaming your friends, well, then you should probably apply the "no mercy" rule.