Are you really asking about design? Or, are the thoughts and ideas floating around in your mind mostly to do with plants and plant combinations that would be attractive in your existing beds and borders? Landscape design and plant choice are not the same thing although they are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

There are a few clues in your post that may inform design parameters:
1. "Transform the front of my house" states a desired aesthetic function.
2. You note the sparseness and disparate plant material. You seem to be expressing a desire for unity, which is a design principle. In design terms, however, the principle isn't fully realized through plant choice.
3. and, you also mention cost constraints.

I guess I'm asking for more information.

Are you most interested in selecting plants to form shrub / perennial combinations in your existing borders and beds? This, by the way, is where I am beginning to be comfortable with my abilities. Your best bet for this sort of help will be over in the perennial and cottage garden forums. The main thing they may tell you beyond plant considerations is to widen your borders. All sound to be a bit on the narrow side. You'll here 4 foot minimum and even deeper is better. Working in this way can be very satisfying and may fit best with your current life needs and goals. It, however, isn't design. Or, if it is, it's a small subset of a much larger picture.

Why?

As I understand it, and my own learning grows deeper as I try to write this, a design process has many, many steps before coming to specific plant choices. It would begin with an overall evaluation of your site, home, and personal desires for this property. It might entail a scale drawing detailing relationships and functional approaches to accentuate the strengths and mitigate the weaknesses in your home's exterior. The design would address issues like drainage, pathways, framing, views, entrances, etc. it might radically change the layout of your current beds. It might suggest shapes and forms of plant material that would best enhance the design without necessarily suggesting specific varieties.

Is that more what you're after?

Wellspring

I don't know how much money you want to invest, do you want to remove what is there? I would take out what is there and widen and curve the beds. If you have afternoon sun alot will work there. I would go to your local plant store and see what you like and ask about it. Or go to the library and get out a book on plants to help you decide. I would maybe hire someone to remove and haul away what is there. And put the new stuff in yourself. It is not hard to remove it but getting rid of all of that stone is the hard part. Good luck!

I'm sorry if I was vague - I see what you mean now. I guess it's hard to get what's in your mind down on paper :) What I really want to do is make the best of my existing beds. If I knew that we would be in this house for 10 years I would want to make the beds larger and possibly incorporate rock borders instead of the current poles. However, I really need to just make the best of what I have. So I guess what I real need is plant suggestions for the current beds. Should I try to do a trellis up the brick on the left for a moonvine? Or do I need some kind of larger bush to have on the end? Should I take out or cut way back the tree/bush that is already there? What suggestions of good bushes or plants for the area on the right side? Are there any suggestions to "dress up" the white rock area? Should I get rid of the white rock and try to do something else? Again, thank you for your suggestions. Sarah

trac m -

I already had my other post ready to submit before I saw yours. Yes, that is exactly what I would like to do as far as widening and curving the bed. As I said in my follow up I would love to use the flat rocks for a border instead of these poles and get rid of all that white rock. The problem is the expense. I mean, how much would it cost to start over like that? My husband and I have been married 9 years and this is our fourth house. We've moved a lot with his job and I hate to put too much time and energy (and especially money) into a masterpiece when I don't know how long we'll be here :) So I guess at this point I want to do the best with what I have while leaving the door open to add on to it if we decide we'll be here a while. I'm guessing the flat rocks are fairly expensive, is that a good assumption? I really would like to get rid of that white rock though, any suggestions on what to do there?

Sarah

I totally agree you're talking plant selection, not landscaping, and given the ages of your kids and likely tenure in this house, that sounds exactly right. I don't know how much plant knowledge you have, but I'd say a couple of books and some time spent cruising the garden centres (kids enjoy that at this age too) would be your best bet right now. The beds are tidy and although they could be better, there is nothing really wrong with them.

I wonder if you have your directions right as west facing would mean nothing but sun after noon... so I'm not sure what exposures we're talking here. But as long as you have a reasonable amount of sun you can grow conifers, which come in many sizes, shapes, and colours, and can give some structure to those empty beds. Put up a trellis for that moonvine, let the Clematis have another year (they sleep, creep, leap, and it may be quite new). If you have sun on those white stone beds, alpine plants will look spectacular.

KarinL

I think I get it now. You have that little stones in one area and mulch with big stones in another area. With money being tight and you don't know how long you will be there, I would use the beds that you have, they all well defined and look nice. You should wait to see what happens in the spring with your plants. Although, I am not a huge fan of mums I would wait and see how they look. Maybe you can add some rododendrums and some taller evergreens around. Leyland cypress seem to be working well for me in NJ. For color Ialso like barberries. Good luck!

You guys are great - now I'm changing the rules :) I just talked to my Mom and Dad - they live on a farm in Kansas. Anyway, they said there is an old stone fence at the back of their property that we could get the big flat rocks out of, and Dad has all the manure and good dirt that I could ever want. Sooooo, now I'm thinking that maybe I should take the plunge and go ahead and redo the whole thing. So now I'm wondering what suggestions you would have if I started from scratch. If I can use any of the existing plants that I have, I would like to - I have the six mums that I told you about, also a couple of dwarf burning bushes in the back yard that could be used. They aren't in very good shape, but I think they can be saved with a little TLC. I'd also still like to use the moonvine, since it was gorgeous there last year, but I have a place in the back if it can't be incorporated into the front. Thank you all so much for your ideas, I told my Mom about this site (she's not very computer literate) and she was amazed!
Sarah

If you're starting from scratch, you might want to consider putting in a tree in the lawn. It cries out for something, and if the house faces west, you'll bless the late afternoon summer shade.

Then widen the beds, they're much too small,most of the beds are under the overhang, and any shrub you put in would be planted MUCH too close to the house. From the pics, shrubs should be planted no closer to the house than the edge of the present beds. You might consider curving the bed (an interior curve) as it turns the corner.

Laceyvail -

There are actually three trees planted in the lawn in front, I just took the picture in front of them. The house (and I assume the trees too) is only 6 years old, so they don't provide much shade yet:)

Tell me exactly what you mean about an interior curve - I'm afraid I know nothing about landscaping! What I was kind of thinking on the beds was to start at the midway point of the sidewalk and curve a little toward the house, then back out again and meet up at about the edge of the house. Then I wondered about making a larger semi-circle down lower than the first bed for some kind of ornamental tree - I kinda like the looks of the japanese maples. What do you think - like I said - I have no idea, I'm just perusing these boards, looking at books, and hoping for the best. Thanks - Sarah