img src="http://picasaweb.google.com/116752598236994777329/HomeImprovments#5460217780831628226";

You painted your brick house?! You must like work, 'cause you now have created life long maintanence.

I didn't like the color of the brick..plus I had a section in the front, where an window A/C unit was removed, that didn't match. Painting the brick made it disappear.

Give your plants time to mature, and the barrenness will go away. The tall evergreen on the upslope, I don't think will help your "curb appeal" much and will crowd the upper landing area. I don't know how you use your space, but I would consider moving the tall evergreen? to the bottom slope to add height down there and conceal your staircase and utility area.

A small retaining wall on the sloped area to give more level space near the upper landing would add some interest. Not really sure where to site it, but I would feel uncomfortable walking on the top of that hill. That's just how I see it for what it's worth.

Thanks Isabella,
I think that's a great tip about the evergreen.. I'm going to move that to the backyard..
I thought of putting a stacked slate retaining wall at the top slope, and going with grasses and liriope, in the bed behind the wall..

Thanks!

I like the paint job. There are many painted brick homes in my neighborhood and they look great, plus they break up the monotony of every house being the same color.

The least "curb appealing" thing about the house, to me, is the visible utility meter and box. We have the same problem on the back of our house, and it drives me nuts. My plan is to hang a trellis on hinges so the meter reader can flip it open to read the meter and it can be closed the rest of the time.

Probably lots of other people have faced the same issue and found other creative solutions.

As for the "barren" issue, it doesn't look barren to me, just young. Once your shrubs have had a chance to grow, it'll look very different. I'm a flower lover, so I always think some perennials help curb appeal, too.

The only hardscape that is visible is the concrete curb and walk. This could be part of your problem. on the down slope of the hill, don't know whats on the rt side of the photo but a nice knee wall of a unilock, techno block, etc.. retaining system with a balance planting on the topside would look nice. also, a variation of plants to give you a bit more color, golds, glossy greens, flowering shrubs/perennials, etc. Coloring is just as important as plant diversity. but you can achieve the same goal with small groupings of the same small plantings. Sometimes simple is better, othere times it is not. depends on designer, goals, plant material available, and more importantly, personal preference. I do alot of design work, not only for my own company but for some of my competitors as well. Getting to know what the customers taste is is almost as challenging as the job its self. Good Luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Lafayette Landscape & Construction, Inc.

Have you considered adding some drifts of perennials amongst the larger shrubs to give some seasonal color? Some easy growing things such as Sedum spectabile, Aster x frikartii 'Moench', Anemone hybrida 'Queen Charlotte' could give some mid summer to fall color, some biennials such as Lunaria annua, Foxgloves, or thicketing perennials such as Phlox, Physotegia virginiana, could also act as filler amongst the evergreen shrubs and help tie the garden together.