Very nice house!

I'm betting the two large uprights are Thuja Occidentalis aka Northern White Cedar or Arborvitae. Do they have the flat and filigree sprays of tiny scaly leaves which are characteristic of the Arborvitae?

As for the foundation shrubbery being historic plantings... I have two Arborvitae that size growing beyond second story windows - they were 5' specimens planted in 1972 and have attained the size of yours in 36 years. Age determining accuracy, though, comes with cutting them down (or taking a core sample) and counting the rings.

I can see why you'd want to open up the views from the porch, but if the porch is going to be rebuilt and reroofed, you've got plenty of time to mull that part of the landscaping over. Are you restricted in any way by local historical societies; you aren't thinking of modifying the original look (which is quite lovely)? I do like the climbing rose idea - Cl. Don Juan (dark red)and Cl. Golden Showers (sunny yellow) are vigorous. There are lots of climbers available but the two mentioned bear large, long stemmed flowers as opposed to tight clusters.

Duluth-

Yes, they have flat sprays of needles. The last people to own this place bought it in the 1970's. So, you think they may have planted the shrubbery around the house? Leave or remove? (My Mom loves them but they are totally covering the bathroom windows on the first and second floors.

This place is out in the country at a crossroads and is mostly a landmark to the locals. It was remuddled inside too much to qualify for any historical credits. I rather like the original look, but would appreciate a friendlier, perhaps less stark porch (soften the straight edges a bit).
If (when) the yews are removed completely, how do you think the area in the front of the porch should be treated?

I'm hoping over the course of the weekend, some of the regular posters will weigh in on this with their professional expertise. You've got an interesting prospect compared to the suburban development yard situations.

There have been quite a few foundation planting threads, but the search feature is still a little erratic. And to my eye, as your house has been expanded and added on to over the years, it has grounded itself and doesn't need to be married to the site with a ring of shrubbery. For fun, I googled the images for farmhouse landscaping and was surprised to see many of the images have the house standing on its own and much of the landscaping at a distance. Nice porches competely unadorned with plant material. At a distance you could add a deciduous tree(s) for brilliant fall color or a conifer grove or an interesting island bed for annual/perennial gardening. Create an additional vista to view from the porch.

When I had some massive 100+ year old basswoods removed last fall, the arborist said my arborvitae had grown beyond where they could be cut back, shaped up, etc. - kind of a shame since the only thing wrong with them is they've grown too big. So, they're on the plan to be taken out and replaced (with something) this spring. My house is a 1930's colonial and I do have the usual, not terribly imaginative foundation plantings of assorted evergreens and conifers. These have also been in the ground for 36 years and it's an annual cutting of the candles, pruning errant branches, etc. to keep them natural looking but in check.

That side view of your house is nice - it's always a shock to have something taken out, but if the arborvitae were gone, I doubt you'd miss them. I'd be tempted to leave the smaller shrubbery in place for the time being but add smaller upright or pyramidal conifers as the arborvitae replacements. The bulkhead should remain unobstructed.

Yank 'em. It is so easy to say that to some one else. I am unable to bring myself to yank my overgrown yew by my front porch. It does not block the entrance, so I have it trimmed up to expose the twisted trunks. Looks bonsai-ish. I like it, still provides privacy but is not so overwhelming. So if you are afraid to pull them, try your hand at topariay and if it doesn't work, then yank them and no great loss.

My comment is very isolated, and doesn't deal with the big picture, the what do you want to do with your property, ect.

If I read the front photo accurately, land slopes down to the L (as viewed from the front). If so, you may get that house-falling-off-to-the-side look without some planting by the L end of the porch. So, either yank all and re-design, since a taller, more spreading shrub or small tree might be optimal at the end, or may want to leave the shrub on the end for now. It's the shrubs closer to the entrance and the 2 big tall ones in front that give more of the claustrophobic appearance.

On the principle that context matters, I've linked below to another one of your postings that shows the scale of the place - recognized your name, thought I'd review what else you've posted about the place.

I think with that context we come to yet another example of foundation plantings being used where plantings to serve that purpose (anchoring house to property) would be much more effective further out from the house. I wonder if foundation plantings were even in vogue or had been heard of when this house was built. The ones you have are definitely from the last 50 years and reflect the style for the suburban tract housing that was being built at that time - I don't think they suit this house or this property. I'd almost think that its historic state is more accurately being surrounded by trees, with little or nothing at the actual foundation.

So... yeah, I'd yank 'em.

KarinL

Here is a link that might be useful: Aerial pics thread

Yanking out yews? Now that is a long, painful and tedious process.

I yanked ours out (three of them) when we bought our house and let me just say that the ground under these bushes tend to be compacted. I have pulled out a quite a few of these bushes, and planted under them as well in my time. Even with mulch around the trees/bushes, the ground is horrific!

If you do take on this task of taking the yews out, do get a really good back brace! This will take a lot of time if you do this yourself. Or, you can shell out some cash and have someone do it for you, if you can afford it.

Good luck either way.