Thanks Mandyvilla. Yes, it's full sun. The climber is pink, as is one of the tea roses, though two of the three teas don't look too healthy. The other is a pretty yellow, so I could really go any way with the colors. I would love to put in perennials, but I don't want to spend too much money, and I'm concerned the smaller perennials that I could afford won't fill in quickly enough to make a nice show when the house is on the market. Unfortunately, around me there are very few sales until much later in the season. I checked out Lowes yesterday and got a nice Butterfly bush, a fairly big Cleome, a phlox David and a daisy. But I still thought the prices were a little high. The David may stay with me. I realized I have more that I can give away than I thought. A Lychnis that doesn't really like it here, a bunch of Rudbeckia, some daylilies, etc. I think I'll be able to get a few zinnias or snaps, some impatiens for the shady side of the house, and maybe some calibrichoa as an edger. I think I'll be able to get it filled in. Luckily, it's a tiny lot.

Let me preface my feedback by saying that i'm a novice myself, and there are folks here (KarinL among them) who will likely offer really brilliant long term design solutions. Having said that, i really think your home is lovely, with nice architectural features you could easily enhance right now in a "no risk, minimal investment" kind of way. What about some potted plants on the steps beneath the pillars? Something floral and cheerful, perhaps. How about some potted evergreen shapes under the lights on both sides? Something more structured. Granted, this really doesn't address your "deeper" issues, but it would give a more "finished" look to things while you ruminate over the broader vision. You're actually in a better position than my husband and i were when we moved into our place. I guess i just assumed the builder would put some kind of similar character into the landscaping that they'd done to the home's interior. Boy, was i naive. They basically put little more than two squares of grass (not even done properly) on both sides of the drive, leaving the sides and rear of the home totally "construction raw." And as you mentioned, professional landscaping can be costly and there's often nothing left in the budget once a home is purchased. But in any case, i digress ... You have a lovely space there. I'd say start with the little, non-permanent touches just to give you that initial softening and "beauty rush." Then go over time from there ...

I think you are boxing yourself in unnecessarily. Why not extend the beds beyond the sidewalk. Starting at the corner heading toward the garage round it out and swerve along the outside of the sidewalk, radiusing out again as you reach the front sidewalk. You could then remove the boxwoods and plant some nice tall evergreens against the house between the windows with minis in between. Then you could use the extended area for more dwarves and mix in some perrenials and annuals with maybe a Japanese Maple or Picea abies pendula to anchor the front bump out near the front sidewalk. I am sure you will get a lot of very good advice on area appropriate conifers from the experts here. Good luck. Think big. Jon

I would have suggested some tropical-looking Aloes or other very sculptural plants. The phoenix already have an airy look so instead of adding more airy plants I would have added some plants with more defined shapes. The yucca could get very large (but it depends on what variety it is). Try looking for Aloe Vaenbelenii, Aloe Alooides, Aloe Excelsa, Aloe Arborescens, Aloe Thraskii, manfreda species (macho mocha is a nice purple variety), Beschorneria Yuccoides, Aloe Striata, Agave Vilmoriniana, agave bracetosa, agave attenuata (many colorful cultivars), agave desmettiana variegata, furcraea species, blechnum gibbum, cordyline australis... And as far as blooming shrubs go, look for tibouchina species, brunfelsia pauciflora or other brunfelsia species, tecomaria capensis, pachypodium lamereii, clvia miniata, spathiphyllum species. The more colorfull the blooms/foliage, the more tropical it will look. Try to stay away from generic hedge shrubs like boxwood, photina... Also, it would look nice with a large group of palms, not just two. They might look too lonely. plant them in groups of threes to give your yard a really full look. just my two cents.