Analysis first, then plan, as Tookoo recommends. Use native plants, as neotoma recommends. Get specific plant recommendations locally, as Terri & sgelade recommend. Here is my two cents worth, for the shortterm. a. Remove and stockpile the lawn edging and most of the mulch back against the fences. b. Take a can of spray paint, or a bundle of surveyor's flag, and mark the largest circular or curved form that will fit within the fenced areas, no matter where the trees stand (inside or outside of the line) to form the temporary edge of your lawn area. See if the entire family agrees on the alignment or just do what looks best to you as the Senior Gardener. c. Add the wood edging to the new edge, or, it will look a lot better if the edge is not visible, using a steel edge whose top edge is down just above the grass roots and no longer visible, and not an impediment to the lawn mower. (when you form the plant beds, you will dig down a couple inches at the edge, where it meets the steel, and then slope the bed up from there, and the mulch will be contained at the level of the lawn, beyond) My recommendation, after you call in your landscape advisor, is to fill the beds totally with ground cover, beneath the shrubs, so no mulch will be seen after the two years of plant growth, using only a finer textured mulch which will become part of the soil bed. (Maybe the bark mulch will smell good in your new fire pit, along with the wood edging.) d. Plant the entire area with grass seed or sod and enjoy the beauty. The curved edge will make the space appear and feel larger and will decrease the maintenance of the smaller bed areas. On the subject of tree placement: analyse first, then plan. Look at all the views beyond your fenceline from all windows of the house, the living/ dining areas, all the bedrooms, to enhance the good views and to block the big, the bad, and the ugly. The large trees on your list will block views from the upper windows, The small horizontally branched trees will be a piece of sculpture in your downstairs view throughout the year, while their flowering and fragrance yet another reason to be alive. For instance, if you have an attractive small tree that has attractive flowers and foliage, PLUS has attractive bark color and has a sculptural quality in the off-season, you won't have to visit the museum quite as often, with a sculpture garden right out your window.

mischiefdebs has good suggestions. I would clean it up but without losing the natural, rugged look. Change the base and platforms. Don't waste it on cats 'though, put potted plants on the platforms. Definitely don't put it in the garden unless you want it to rot away in no time. Don't despair, it has great potential. ;-)

I don't have room in my current home for any sort of tree, not even a hat stand like pictured, so I can't wait till our new home is complete and I can put up a tree but I think the stand and the gifts looks perfectly acceptable and does still have the important Xmas spirit!! Well done Maria

It's always tough trying to find a hedge that will grow in sun and shade, especially when you want a uniform look. Having said that, it isn't uncommon for designers to use a couple of different species - for example one species to boundary fences with another to the front fence. I'd consider lifting the canopy of the existing trees to let light in for more even growth across the hedge, however I'd still expect it to be a bit uneven due to the varying conditions throughout the garden. Viburnum tinus is a good pick for both a sunny position and a shady position, it will eventually get to 2m height and can be kept as low as 1m. If this isn't large enough, you could also try Portuguese laurel, (Prunus lusitanica) which will get to 4m easily enough. Both of these aren't particularly fast growing, but with adequate water and food they should be good for your situation. Murraya is another one that will tolerate sun and shade, though not frost. You won't get as many flowers in shady positions, and it may look a bit straggly. Your local nursery may be able to advise on what is readily available. When you plant, preparation and ongoing care is going to be important as it look as though you have a few plants that the hedge will have to compete with as it establishes (your neighbours conifers and your pears). Digging a good wide planting hole, plenty of organic matter mixed with the back-fill, as well as regular watering and feeding until the plants get established. Much as the Flower Carpet Roses are tough (especially the original pink), I wouldn't recommend planting roses in anything less than 4 hours of direct sun a day. You'll end up having issues with blackspot and mildew, and they're not going to give you the neat box look that you want. Flower Carpet Roses (Tesselaar Roses) are a good tough rose, however some colours (cultivars) are tougher than others. Pink is one of the best performing varieties, and as suggested, reaches a bit more than the height on the label. That may not be true of all the different colours though. Be careful propagating any of the flower carpet roses, only ever for yourself as they are rigourously protected either with trademark names and/or Plant Breeders Rights, making it illegal to sell the propagated material under the flower carpet name, or at all (in the case of PBR). Good luck!