Straightening trees, opening voids

My previous post showed the Sunburst honey locusts in my Brooklyn garden bent over into a mass of drooping foliage at the center of the garden.When Kerry Hand, who planted the same trees on his land in New Zealand, commented "Don't think I would like that," that really got under my skin. So late Wednesday I tied the trees back, anchoring them by thin cords to the fence. It makes quite a difference, and unfortunately opened the unattractive view to the houses opposite us.Here's the view before the tie back.

I trimmed the canopies a bit and, once they adjust to the upright orientation, I think they'll quickly fill the space and allow me to feel less exposed.I've been so busy with the Federal Twist garden, I've tried to ignore these problems. But when others comment, I feel I have to take at least minimal action.Another comment from Thomas Rainer--"moody"--drew my attention to the contrast of the side borders with the back border. The sides have large foliage with a lot of darkness in the voids beneath the leaves. Here, the left ...... and here the right side.But the back border is flat, with almost none of that dark mystery. It's all surface. Crowded too. Crowded might be okay if there were more void space visible, but the overall look is cluttered, and lacking in composition.I'll work on this later in the season, or perhaps in the fall  planting season. Some of these plants can find homes at Federal Twist.Suggestions welcome, of course.To complete the garden survey, a view back to the house.I can't afford the bulky seating Susan Cohan suggests I need, so I'll eventually stain these chairs black and add bright cushions, perhaps chartreuse or orange. (That spot of bright color in the net I use to clean the pool is revealing. Blue? No, not here.)Yes, the box need pruning too.