I wouldn't plant anything taller than 6"-8" next to the walkway since it is already narrow, and you want the entry to feel open and welcoming, not crowded by plants. Plant far enough back from the walk so that it won't grow out onto the walkway. To figure out where to plant check the plant's projected width (from a reliable source such as an arboretum or botanical garden), take half of that and add a couple inches, and that will give you the distance the plant should be placed from the walkway in order to not encroach. Plant the rest of the area with plants that won't grow more than a few inches above the porch floor (unless is it really loose and airy) for the same reason, so that the house looks open and welcoming, not crowded by plants.

Use several plant of just a few types so that they are visible from the road. If you use many different types of plants they will only be visible from up close, but if you use a few varieties planted in masses of several, they will be more visible from the road. Generally, I can't recommend anything in particular since your zone is so different from mine, but I know High Country Gardens has some less common plants that are well suited to the SW US, including in higher elevations, and they give info on water levels as well as the more usual info on sun and soil types their plants prefer. Look at some of the Agastaches, Penstemons, sedums, Zauschneria, and Perovskia, all plants types that will tolerate arid regions and have at least some species or cultivars that are hardy to zone 5.

You will want to put a rail that meets code on the porch end so no one accidentally walks off it. You might consider adding a trellis as well that starts near ground level in the corner of the bed and guides a vine around and up the end of the porch. Research whether there are clematis suited to your area (I know I've seen a native with small white flowers blooming in the canyons of Canyonlands NP) that are commercially available. There are some climbing roses that are suitable for your area (check out High Country Roses) as long as you are willing to fasten the canes to a trellis. Roses and clematis grow well together. Or another possibility is the native honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens which the hummingbirds really like, and is tolerant of less moisture than most vines. I grow L. sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' in the dry area under my eaves and I find it tolerates the dryness without needing any watering, even in this very dry year, so I think it would be OK in UT. Both honeysuckle and most clematis will climb on their own as long as the trellis has suitable structure. For the clematis, the members should not be much thicker than a pencil since they climb by wrapping leaf stems and they can't wrap if the pieces of the trellis are too thick.

I would bring the front of the bed at least as far forward as the sidewalk (the part where it turns and goes toward the garage). Or maybe make it bigger yet by pulling it toward the street in front of the sidewalk (which leads to the garage), taking the bed all the way to the driveway. That would get you a spot in which to place some low-growing annuals to add color near your front door.

Are there lots of natural rocks in use in your neighborhood? (I don't know much about Utah.) The rocks seem out-of-place. Or maybe I just cannot see enough of your property to see how they fit in.

I used to use rocks at a former house I had until I decided they were just too much of a PITA to handle and trim around. Squared landscape blocks are much easier to use to make grade changes, if you need to - for instance, on the far left where it appears as though the land is lower. Across the front of the bed, I wouldn't use a hard material at all. I now hand-trench all my beds for a much cleaner look.

By the way, is it necessary to leave a walkway between the bed and the fence to get to the backyard? If not, I'd take the bed all the way to the fence.

I agree that you shouldn't use very many different kinds of plantings. As beds go, yours is very small. Plus, the tree in the foreground makes it even more difficult for those passing by to see much of it. Therefore, I'd go with large splashes of the same color.

What are the chances of seeing more pictures from a different perspective? I'd like to see a battery of slightly overlapping pictures with the camera position as shown in the sketch, with photos from straight left (toward tree) to the right neighbor's house. All photos from same point, just pivot camera.

I would agree that neither the rocks edging the bed or concrete pieces edging the tree are attractive. The rocks especially seem out of character with the house

We LOVE the idea of taking the rocks and bricks away completely. We also don't need to use the side of the house next to the porch, so we can definitely extend the bed to the fence. I'll take some pictures from that pivot point when the sun comes up tomorrow.

Thanks a ton for the feedback so far!

Here are some overlapping 360 degree photos:

The first thing I'd do is widen the step and walk so that it equaled the width of the porch opening. That it doesn't now diminishes the overall character of the house appearance, with the house looking shortchanged. Also, the walk looks like it might be listing to starboard. If that's the case making an improvement to it might be a chance to fix it.

It seems to me that the existing bed line is working against the principle of street appeal, including making the entrance look inviting. You should be funneling people's eyes toward the entrance, not obscuring or cluttering it, and you should be creating space for them to enter. The planting bed bounding the walk makes it look less spacious. It would even look less spacious if there were plants in that bed.

As others have suggested, you probably need a railing at the porch. The left end looks fairly high off the ground.

I think general plant forms and locations are fairly self explanatory. I think you need the small tree at the left side in order to give the house a sense of being protected/sheltered, and a sense of separation from the neighboring property.

Moving to the small tree directly left of the camera, the bed below it looks seriously troubled. It is way off center, too small to be a bed and, again, the concrete pieces don't flatter it. It would be better to dispense with them in favor of a clean looking trench edge. I'm showing two ways to do one of it's corners. (I think I prefer the rounded pink one.) I didn't show anything planted in the bed, but it could be any low, or low-ish, groundcover/perennial type plant. Also, the tree looks neglected. The trunk has a structure but it doesn't look like it knows what it is. Remove trunks that fall way outside of the general trunk system shape. Remove low branches. This could be done in 5 minutes with a small folding pruning saw.

At the tree right of the drive, it is past time to remove some the lower branches. The sooner you do this chore, the easier it is, because later branches will be thicker.