The general rule will be that the evergreens (conifers) will not grow back from bare wood, while the deciduous ones probably will. So will any broadleaf evergreens. The other way of categorizing them is (a) which ones you like and which you don't, or (b) which are good in the place they are and which are not. You might not need to know what they are to answer those questions. A plant you hate that's in your way = get rid of it. That may encompass, as Ink suggests, pretty much all of it. There is both a pro and a con to keeping such big shrubs. Yes, they may not need to be watered, but that is because they have large root systems that are able to suck all the available water from their surroundings, handicapping the growth of anything new you might plant. Also, those large root systems are capable of pushing out a lot of new growth every season, which = lots of pruning. And again Ink is right: you need to know how to prune to do that with good results. I'm for yanking them - whatever they are, they are not treasures, and the landscaping has basically reached the end of its planned lifespan. The trees in back, however, are doing a pretty good job of screening for you, and may do for some time yet. KarinL

@Dig Doug's Designs - what type of bush is to the right? The AC unit needs to be hidden from view from the from and from the steps. the evergreen that I have in the back next to the steps is to balance out a little patch of plants on the other side of the steps. See below pictures. all of the shrubs are small this is when we first planted over a year ago.

Dennis - Unless I missed it, you didn't say what direction the front of your house faces, and how much sun it got, that is, if it's sun is obstruction by tall buildings on the other side of the street. The other very, very important thing for you to think about, of which other Houzzers might not be aware is that Southern California goes through extreme water shortages pretty much every single year, and many areas are told to not water their lawn or do it only minimally for parts of the year. That should really inform how you think about landscaping. Admittedly, I do understand if you despise cacti and other succulents. But you might want to seriously think about eschewing live grass in favor of artificial turf. There are marvelous artificial turfs now that would fool anyone, certainly from standing height, and you obviously don't need to water it and think of all the $$ you save in gardener's fees, and none of those those pesky varmints rolling up the sod, either.! You can can still have specifically carved out flower beds, and trees and bushes with planned irrigation for those specific areas. Your area abounds with very experienced landscape architects. You want someone who has an artistic eye, and who knows hardscape and who is very familiar with the plants that do well in your area, and is familiar with the exigencies of life in SoCal and in your microclimate and can speak frankly with you about what you want to get out of your garden and how much work you are willing to put in to it. Do you sit outdoors in the front or the back? Do you want fragrant flowers on a trellis where you sit there or will a fragrance annoy the heck out of you? Will you sit outside in the morning or night, so do you need flowers that bloom in the am or bloom in the evening with colors that will be seen sell in twilight and at night? Do you want an herb garden for cooking? Do you want vegetables? Do you want several rose bushes so you can fill your house with roses, or other flowers so you can always have bouquets? Of course Dig Doug's designs look fantabulous as always, but note that his designs show significant hardscape changes to the front of the house. You might want to think about saving up some money for the hardscape work. If you get rid of the grass and put in artificial turf, you will end up saving a fortune of money on your water bill that you can put toward hardscape. If you have never owned a house before, you would not believe how much the water bill will be, and when you add in watering the lawn, holy moly!

You can use annuals for now and wait until the fall to plant perennials. Take this time to visit local garden centers (not HD or Lowe’s if possible). research plants for your area (preferably native!). Here, we have a few local wholesale nurseries that sell retail one day a week. This allows non-industry folk like me to buy at a reduced cost. It would be nice if you found a similar arrangement. In the meantime, buy a couple of pots, plant them with annuals and place them to flank your columns, if they fit. Otherwise, just plant a few annual salvias, marigolds, whatever catches your fancy as a “place holder” in the beds.