Invaders or Successors?

I WRITE THIS FROM my hammock where I am shaded by a fully blooming Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin), sometimes referred to as a mimosa tree. My wife and her beloved humminbirds love this specimen. Behind it is a mature Norway maple (Acer platanoides), which is attempting to bump off its designated replacement, the lovely Ginkgo biloba, by shading it to death.

In my foreground an unidentified hybrid Japanese maple is a favorite nesting tree for robins. Japanese umbrella pines () grow near the property line, skirted by many assorted evergreen azaleas. Also in view are more hostas than I can shake a stick at. I have an attractive screen of glossy green English holly () and several persimmon cultivars that hail from the Korean