\documentclass[landscape]{article}
\usepackage[svgnames]{xcolor}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{backgrounds}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=.5,
show background rectangle,
background rectangle/.style={fill=black},
color=white,help lines/.style={color=lightgray,line width=0.2pt}]
\draw (0,14) node[anchor=north west] {{\bf text}};
\draw (0,13.5) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,13) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,12.5) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,12) node[anchor=north west] {text};
\draw (0,1) node[anchor=north west] {{\bf Deliberately left blank}};
% bounding box
\draw[style=help lines] (11,0.5) rectangle (12.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (11.75,0.5) rectangle (13.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (14,0.5) rectangle (15.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (14.75,0.5) rectangle (16.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (17,0.5) rectangle (18.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (17.75,0.5) rectangle (19.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (20,0.5) rectangle (21.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (20.75,0.5) rectangle (22.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (23,0.5) rectangle (24.5,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (23.75,0.5) rectangle (25.25,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,14) -- (26,14);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,11) -- (26,11);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,7.5) -- (26,7.5);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,3.5) -- (26,3.5);
\draw[style=help lines] (0,1) -- (26,1);
\draw (11,0.5) rectangle (26,14);
\draw (14,0.5) rectangle (23,14);
\draw (17,0.5) rectangle (20,14);
\draw (12.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 1};
\draw (15.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 2};
\draw (18.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 3};
\draw (21.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 4};
\draw (24.5,14) node[anchor=south] {Year 5};
% blocks
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11,13) rectangle (13.25,13.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11.75,12.5) rectangle (16.25,13);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14,12) rectangle (17.75,12.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,11.5) rectangle (20,12);
%\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17,11) rectangle (17.75,11.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (13.25,10) rectangle (16.25,10.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14.75,9.5) rectangle (18.5,10);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17,9) rectangle (20.75,9.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (18.5,8.5) rectangle (22.25,9);
%\filldraw[fill=Silver] (20.75,8) rectangle (20,8.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (14,6.5) rectangle (20,7);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (19.25,6) rectangle (24.5,6.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,5.5) rectangle (17.75,6);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17.75,5) rectangle (20, 5.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (20,4.5) rectangle (22.25,5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (22.25,4) rectangle (24.5,4.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (11,2.5) rectangle (13.25,3);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (13.25,2) rectangle (15.5,2.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (15.5,1.5) rectangle (24.5, 2);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (17.75,1) rectangle (24.5,1.5);
\filldraw[fill=Silver] (24.5,0.5) rectangle (26,1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

I don't really get the question so I hope this is what you wanted. If you include a full document (such that we copy paste and see the problem on our systems) things are much more easier.
Here, you can change the default setting within a scope but your block
style had a node distance
which was resetting every time it is issued. I've made it 2mm such that we can see the difference easier.
\documentclass[tikz]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows,shapes.geometric,positioning}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}[decision/.style={diamond, draw, text width=4.5em, text badly centered, node distance=3.5cm, inner sep=0pt},
block/.style ={rectangle, draw, text width=6em, text centered, rounded corners, minimum height=4em, minimum height=2em},
cloud/.style ={draw, ellipse, minimum height=2em},
line/.style ={draw,-latex'},
node distance = 1cm,
auto]
\node [block] (1st) {1st};
\node [block, right= of 1st] (2nd1) {2nd1};
\begin{scope}[node distance=2mm and 10mm]%Here we change it for everything inside this scope
\node [block, above= of 2nd1] (2nd2) {2nd2};
\node [block, below= of 2nd1] (2nd3) {2nd3};
\node [block, right= of 2nd1] (3rd1) {3rd1};
\node [block, above= of 3rd1] (3rd2) {3rd2};
\node [block, above= of 3rd2] (3rd3) {3rd3};
\end{scope}
\node [block, below= of 3rd1] (3rd4) {3rd4};
\node [block, below= of 3rd4] (3rd5) {3rd5};
\path [line] (1st) -- (2nd1);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (2nd2);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (2nd3);
\path [line] (2nd2) -- (3rd3);
\path [line] (2nd1) -- (3rd1);
\path [line] (1st) -- (2nd1);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

Best Answer
For reasons I'm not sure I fully understand, the
edge from parent node
seems to have to go at the end of thechild
group before the closing}
EDIT: The manual (section 18.6 "Edges From the Parent Node" in the 2.10 version) states that
and gives some further examples.
Anyway, the following appears to do what you require. Hopefully the example demonstrates how it should be used better than the explanation did.