Winter Garden Projects: Removing Texas Sage in the front yard

Winter is a great time for major garden projects in south Texas.  The mild weather allows us to enjoy working outside longer and most plants are dormant making them easier to move.  Back in November we removed a Texas sage from the mailbox bed near the street and this weekend we pulled out two more sages in the driveway island bed.  They had outlasted their value in the front garden and even with frequent trimmings they just didn't look right with the new landscaping.  The sages are the tall gray shrubs in the center of the bed.

Before

This looks so much better and leaves room for a new plant.

After

When we pulled out the sage near the street a few months ago I posted that the sages had helped hide our sad landscaping for a few years.  Now we prefer some of our newer plants like the Bismarck palm to have higher visibility.   Lindheimer's muhly ornamental grass has temporarily replaced the sage in the bed.  We are currently looking for a hardy columnar cactus as a permanent replacement.

Before

With two more sages removed it's easier to see the improvements we have worked so hard to implement.

After

There's a more open view from the street and better visibility of the driveway from the house.

After

In the photo below you can see the newer Silverado sage along the driveway has a better form and deeper color compared to the ones in the island.

Before

After

We still have several sages along the north property line and in the back yard so these tough natives will remain a part of our landscape plan. 

So now I have two spots for different plants.  The Dayslerion wheeleri in the back yard needs a new home and it would not block the view.  I have several opuntias available to transplant or that nice New Mexico Agave I saw at the garden center today would work.  I could plant another Color Guard Yucca there instead.  Any thoughts?