I think ground cover would be nice in place of the Junipers. What do people usually plant in your zone?

Do you want a more formal look your currently shaped shrubs seem to suggest that. I'm not much for formal so keep that in mind for my suggestions.

I think I would remove the shrubs by the windows. I would plant maybe some flowering shrubs such as little john bottle brush under the windows and then something else on each side of them that flowers. It looks like a very narrow bed. Maybe keep the cypress in the middle since it is narrow and provides some height there

Instead of the juniper I would have a grouping of some diffe rnt flowering plants of various heights and textures. I'd try to have most be evergreen and various blooming seasons to overlap. I tend to go for low water use plants and also deer resistant plants so my choices are probably more limited than you'd have. Not sure how much space you have though to actually plant something in front of the wall though.

Suggestions for flowering and texture plants
Society garlic
Little john bottle brush
Trailing rosemary - looks great over a wall
Artemisia
Lambs Ear (does great for texture in zone 8b for me)
Jerusalem sage - short blooming, but nice texture for leaves
Pink skullcap (can be a bit cold tender)
Bicolor iris - will fill in space and gets to a decent height
Mexican bush sage - not ever green, but love it. Need to cut back if cold weather
Trailing Lantana - nice over a wall or as ground cover. Deciduous though

While none of your photographs are "bad" photos, they do not mesh well to give an accurate sense of what your yard is. The tree that dominates the left side seems absent in the last photo so I can't tell what's up to date. It would be better to start with an overall view that shows how your property fits into the street view. I think the best way of doing this is stand so the camera can capture from the street edge & back. At that same position, pan the camera leftward, center and rightward to capture the overall scene. Then the photos can be pasted together to make a single photo (not made into a computer generated panorama, which distorts significantly.) Given the small space & topography, it would be useful to stand at the steps to the porch and take pictures that pan the front yard, looking toward the street.

Seems like the yard could use some hardscape improvements like adding width to the sidewalk & maybe a railing at the steps near the city walk. Also, the "walk" that forms the planting bed in front of the house seems extraordinarily narrow & too close to the house. Maybe this could be altered ..?

Those tree/plants near the house are too close. Your landscape would be improved by their removal.

Thanks for looking!

emmarene, I'm not sure what's usually planted in my zone. There a lot's of shaped shrubs in this neighborhood, but gradually they seem to be being phased out.

lyfia, I am not for a formal look. The shaped shrubs are vestiges of the past in this neighborhood. I'm picturing a sort of casual but neat cottage type look. I'll look at the plants you have listed and learn more about them.

Yardvaark, I'll try again with better photo composites to see if I can make something that shows the whole site. All trees shown in the photos are still present; nothing has been removed yet.
I completely agree with your comments about the hardscape - I would like a railing at the steps to the city walk and to widen the walk to the front door. The planting bed in front of the house is narrow. It can all be altered. We really want to improve the look and the function of the space. The home is so small, we value every inch and regard the front yard and the back yard as extensions of our living space. Or, at least want to. Thank you for confirming the plants near the house are too close.

Here are my latest attempts at the photos. I'll update this post if I can make better ones. How do you paste them together without stitching them with software?

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Here's what the house looked like "naked" in 1945. This is what the roofline over the front door still looks like.
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This is what the NE corner of the house looks like, where the skinny path turns to the west and runs along the north side of the house to access the backyard.
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The caterpillar-like looking thing next to the front walk is my way of making the front hedge somewhat transparent so what's happening behind it can be seen.
It should be replaced with something that can be kept uniform in height and spread.

Getting rid of all the existing plants at house face. Too wrong on several counts. Replanting with things that do not obliterate the house walls or obscure features. (Surely a real plant on a real trellis would look better than my scraggly blob between the windows!) Trying for some separation between the neighboring properties. Redoing, reconfiguring & rerouting the walk. If you react to specifics, Seashine, I could help clear up any misunderstandings.

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Thanks Yardvaark! That looks quite nicer than what we have now. The real plant on the real trellis would be something I would love - but, I'm afraid of it acting like a freeway to my roof for rats. I know they might find other ways, but I don't want to make it easy for them.
I'll use this to start thinking about the hardscape choices and plant choices.
Thanks again, I like it!

I like Yardvaark's design mockup, though I'm not a fan of the trellis. That design, minus the trellis, gives your house a much more open look.

yardvaark, would you post the photo again if you can? I can't see it now that we're houzz/gardenweb.

Thank you! (I'll save a copy this time!)

My opinion is that everything must go. Once you have cleared out all of the plants that you want out of the landscape, you will be able to see your space in a different way, and can make better decisions.

Hardscape renovation would be tremendous to your home, and also should be complete before plant selections are made.

That being said I would start with the privacy issue. I like my privacy, and would start with a fence of something slow growing with a narrow habit, and medium height like thuja o. emerald green (or similar plant for your area that works with your conditions--salt / deer etc.). If you are not looking to completely wall of your home, however, this will not work. Layering in from that point is where you make selections of plants you enjoy. If you are not a gardener I recommend staying away from lots of different perennials. One or two choices planted in mass can be easier to take care of, and give more visual impact to me rather than my eyes not being able to choose what to land on.

Using shrubs and ornamental trees with lots of space between them can give you a clean and organized look, and does not necessarily have to be formal. I often look at japanese gardens, and conifer gardens in oregon for ideas. Think about your most important views (windows, frequented locations in your yard) and plan height and your favorite selections from these views.