Spacing some stones would keep your wonderful neighbors from turfing your lawn and then you could grow some nice groundcover too. Depending on how high you want the stuff to grow, there is so many ground covers you can choose from. Vinca is nice, you can get a few colors to choose from. The deer/rabbits/mice/moles/voles etc don't eat it. Not sure how good it is for erosion control. You could also try bundle flower (desmanthus illinoensis), it's a perennial, for erosion control, and it's got decorative seed pods and is native to the US. It's hardy to -20, so since you are in Ma, not sure if that will survive or not, unless you use mulch. I got some to try where we have erosion problems, you can purchase it at horizonherbs.com, they got some interesting seeds and plants, and they have great customer service. You can also plant crownvetch, but it can be invasive and I personally don't like it. There are also shrubs that can help control erosion like candleberry.

Hi! I finally settled on: some knockout roses, pink pentas, caladiums, mexican petunias, a little purple queen, a little yellow lantana, some pineapples, a firebush (which doesn't seem happy in the full sun spot I chose....), a meyer lemon tree, and some pink crown of thorns. I think I need a couple of other clumps of color or something to balance... theres a spot that needs some white or orange. For white I've thought of maybe vinca (?) but I thought maybe someone else might have a better suggestion... and I am not so fond of them but I know they are drought tolerant and perennial. I think I could also use something with a little height in addition, not necessarily a white or orange flower. The photos don't really do it justice, and it had been so dry I was holding off a little on spending more on plants to fill in, but now that the rain has started I'm ready. And now what I've planted will fill in too, although I am wishing it would hurry up a bit! :-) thanks for any suggestions! Here is a link that might be useful: june gallery

Hi Jenny, I think the problem is not just that it's dark. It's that we can't discern a welcoming entrance and that makes us subconsciously uncomfortable. So I think all the white will help address the hidden entrance. Also the garage is over emphasized. The two plants on either side emphasize the garage even more. I'd trim those down so they are so prominent. I like the white, too. I would put on a porch but since your husband votes no for that I'd try some easier fixes: paint the door and door trim white, get a new light fixture, leave it on during the day, paint the trim around the alcove white, move the chairs and flower pots as it makes the alcove crowded, widen your steps so they run across the whole alcove. You can then move your pots to ground level. I think perhaps the back wall that the door is set into needs to be all white. After these easy fixes, if it needs more, I'd consider possibly adding additional trim work around the alcove to emphasize it more. It's possible to have the alcove area paneled with Azek or boards and painted all white. You can also do something with your landscaping to emphasize the front alcove and make it clear where the welcoming entry to the house is so it isn't so lost in the shadows. For instance a "runway" effect of small boxwoods (not sure if boxwoods are weather proof for your area) on each side of the sidewalk. Additional plants could round out the area as the designer indicated above but having that straight line to your front door I think would emphasize the alcove. Additional ideas - just brainstorming - these may not be good ideas - a pergola around the alcove (search on "pergola at entrance" on houzz), pergola over the garage doors to break up the triangle there. Trellis in white of course alongside the garage parallel to sidewalk. Paint the garage door white to break up the huge expanse of one color (which makes it appear even larger.) Extend roof over alcove forward so you can add a single white pillar at the corner. Look at how the white trim around the bay window is fairly wide and has a lot of presence. I think you need to produce that white outline around the alcove in the same way - wide enough to have presence to draw the eye. The darkness of the alcove may not even matter if the white outline is there to show where the doorway is. There appears to be existing trim outlining the alcove (at least at top and on right hand side). If it isn't wide enough - doesn't have enough presence - you can have an additional layer of wider trim attached to it at a fairly economic cost. You'll have to post pictures so we can see your home in its next phase! Sally

How is drainage managed for the planter? Florida is mostly dry during winter and spring with the rainy season beginning in summer. Of course, hurricanes mean extreme rain. Your planter needs excellent drainage to keep it from becoming bog-like during such rains. Use a hammer-drill to put drain holes along the bottom of the planter. Then fill the planter to the top with a good quality garden soil. Here are some vines for the fence. Bambino Bougainvillea stays small and can even be grown as a shrub. Bougainvillea prefers a cramped root system as long as soil is free-draining, and it doesn't mind heat. Scarlet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is native to the U.S. And blooms through summer. Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides) grows 8-10' tall with yellow to orange daisy blooms. Black-eye Susan Vine or Clock Vine (Thunbergia alata) is an annual that likes heat. Coral Vine or Queen's Wreath (Antigonum leptopus) grows 10-12' in my yard with pink flowers late summer until frost. The information in the links suggest these vines grow quite tall, but keeping their roots constrained as well as pruning when needed will keep them smaller. As for your previously grassy areas, try some full sun ground covers or other perennials that will take heat and dryer soil. Shore Juniper (J. conferta) and Creeping Juniper (J. horizontalis) grow from 6" to 18" tall depending on cultivar, but can cover up to 10' wide at maturity. Perennial Peanut (Arachis glabrata) used to be only for pasture forage, but is becoming a drought-tolerant ground cover that needs no fertilizer. This LINK has a list of ground covers for Florida. Choose from those that grow in full sun, but you should also look them up to see if they are drought tolerant as well. Remember that anything you plant will need to be watered the first year. Once plants are established they should only need supplemental watering during extended dry periods.