Thats a neat little place you have there. I think the wood columns instead of the wrought iron will make a nice change. Will the posts be white like the roof wood trim or natural like the stairs?

As for a few ideas for the landscaping, It would be nice to see something to the front right side to break up the hard line from the edge of the house and to cover up from view the electric/telco boxes on the front of the house. Im a big fan of Hydrangea, so *I* would probably plant Hydrangea Macrophylla there:
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/63142-product.html
Or maybe some incrediball:
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/63133-product.html

WOuld also be nice to see another shrub/bush to the left of the window with some nice color in between. Maybe a Purple leaf sand cherry bush or Weigela on the left and some Lillies, Crocosmia, Lavender and echinacea with a decorative grass or two mixed in to really stand out in the middle :)

Echinacea: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/28460-product.html

Lillies: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/381417-product.html

Crocosmia: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/40737-product.html

Lavender: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/32822-product.html

Grasses: http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/30051-product.html

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/73382-product.html

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/30011-product.html

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/30045-product.html

Thanks for the imput I really love the plants you have chosen.. as far as the house.. I am not sure if I will leave the posts stained or painted. I am going to cover the front of the porch in wood and maybe even add railings... I just can't figure out the best route to go with color.

On top of the obvious filling in with plants, When you replace the posts, how about also redoing the shutters on the windows? Something more beefy (like the size of real shutters) would help balance out the proportions there. Since you all like bold colors, you could paint them to match the door. The mustard yellow could be pulled off if you are in the mood to do it. I have bold color sympathies myself.

So far all I'm hearing is questions about and ideas about what is sometimes around here called "landscape decorating." Also home decorating. Landscape design, in contrast, requires a more comprehensive view of what you are working with, what you are trying to achieve, and what barriers you are encountering to doing it.

In other words, a photo of your whole property would help, and maybe a bit about how you use the area in question or what problems you feel you need to solve.

As an example, whether you want to make the front porch feel intimate and private (maybe you live on a busy road) or open and welcoming would dictate how you used hardscape and plant material around it. Also, what direction does the house face, and what happens to that slope at the right side of the picture - is it something you want to mitigate or accentuate?

I'm not promising that you'll get a free landscape design here - most people don't, but it did happen once! - but you could get some insights that enable you to proceed with a better understanding of how to achieve the "style" you're after.

Most of the people who come here to answer questions are interested in landscaping issues and principles, and unless questions related to some of those are presented, you often won't get much response.

KarinL

do you have any inspiration photos?
Here are a couple of houses I have attempted to improve the curb appeal

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0500101915136.html?4

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg0517484826221.html?27