Curvy or straight? The main point is to give beds depth. Rule of thumb for a border or foundation would be a minimum depth of 6 ft, but most look better if deeper than that. Narrow beds and borders, I think, are one of the things that leads some people to plant in the dreaded soldier rows. Also, although I sometimes think some people get a little anal about the "rule", it's kind of a common mantra in gardening books and on garden forums to hear that plant material should be planted in odd numbers. Three is the favorite number. For smaller plants, or for greater impact, try 5 or 7. If a plant has presence enough to be a specimen or accent on its own, then plant just one. Consider that most dwarf shrubs are about 2 ft at maturity. You need to keep an access space along the house, so you don't plant them write up against it. And, you just read this rule of 3 thing, so you have 3 little shrubs that you won't plant in a row. How much depth will your irregular planting of a trio of the same shrub or perennial need? Then you figure that ... hmmm ... a 2 ft shrub doesn't have a lot of presence by itself. What if it were to have a grouping of evergreens here ... and, say, here ... Oh, and the evergreens are something slow growing that will eventually reach 4 to 5 ft. Pretty soon you realize the border depth needs to be 8 ft to accommodate the shrub groupings. And, because I think it's how many of us think, I'm starting from smaller plants and working from there. Of course, the other common scenario is trying to plant something that matures at 6 to 10 ft with a similar spread into a bed that isn't deep enough. So, my recommendation would be that you get a working idea of the shape and especially the depth of the beds. Incorporate the raised bed idea if you like ... But for now, just play with the ideas on paper, keeping foremost in your mind the way these beds will enhance your home. Once you've got a paper plan that you like, you don't necessarily have to pull the whole thing off all at once. You have a plan. Execute it slowly. Given that you are trying to learn design and learn plants and "do" the garden all at once, give yourself permission to work at a reasonable pace. Maybe the shadier side first, and focus next year on the sunnier side. Give strong consideration to checking out if a local nursery provides design services. Often you can pay a reasonable fee (about $300) for a reasonable plan. If they seem to be going in a too cookie cutter direction, call them on it and indicate the preferences you are already developing. Mainly what you want is something to guide your process. And, there are designers out there who work specifically with clients who intend to put the plan in place themselves. Anyway, whether you sketch it out entirely yourself or get professional input, once you've got a plan, implement it in stages. Don't do what I've done ... rush out to look at all the pretty plants and come home with babies that need to go into the ground ... now! Give your future plantlings the courtesy of beautifully prepared beds with wonderfully prepped soil. You won't regret it. Focus on getting a particular section of the project done well. Maybe it won't look finished, but you have a plan and you know what you will be doing next to fulfill it. Hope that makes sense ... It's just often the case that we get an idea, and think we can execute it and then it turns out to be way more work than we realized when we were just playing with it on paper. Get the big picture on paper ... But, if you are doing the work, stage the execution in manageable phases.

I have been asked so many times over the years, "What is the BEST _____?" Fill in the blank with "thing-to-build?", "time-to-cut?", and so on. I would like to dispel the notion that the "BEST" matters much. The answer is often that there are several, or many, bests and usually quite a bit of leeway. There is no need to obsess about absolute perfection. Better to look for what works well. It would be as if someone said "What is the best clothing to wear?" and intended to wear only that for the rest of their life. So many different plants a yard can "wear" and many would look good. Also, with the walk material, there are choices in both brick, pavers and concrete that would work well. Personally, with your house, I would keep it traditional -- like red brick or pavers in the standard brick shape -- and avoid styles that look modern or fakishly rustic. Get samples large enough to create something that can be seen from a distance, and appraise it. Since I had to invent the foreground it's understandable that the walk might not work as shown. It's just to give ideas. One would adjust as reality demands. A note about trellises: If placed in front of a wall, one would provide enough separation so that there was space between the wall and the plant. That way, it's never a problem with the siding. Also, I've never seen a ready made trellis that was worth a flip. It's something that must be custom made, though it's generally not a difficult proposition for someone with modest carpentry talent. The large dome-shaped shrub near the wall could be many thing. I'm not sure if it grows in your zone, but while I drew it, the plant that came to mind was Viburnum carlesii ... producer of one of the most delicious scents known.

I'll try to play catch up. (Have been travelling for a little more than a month in the past 40 days. Much of that was without Internet so more absent than I thought might happen.) The drawing is pretty basic but hopefully it will convey some ideas. First, I would get rid of the odd angles on the beds. They would look much better to tie in to walks at 90* angles instead of weird wedge shapes. In the lower, right corner I'm illustrating two ways you could make a circular bed around the lamp post. (The lamp post is a primary purpose of the bed so the bed ought to use the post, at least roughly, as the radius point. And a generally circular shape would make more sense than a sprawling asymmetrical wedge shape.) Also, I would re-shape the large front bed. It should swell out to accommodate the tree you intend to plant but does not need to extend outward, around the walk in a grabbing fashion. To explain the planting in the illustration, it is a shrub below each window of the garage, and a small hedge below the pair of windows (right half). None of those should get taller than bottom of the window. There is seasonal color flanking the entrance to the porch and at the left of the porch. A perennial mass wraps the garage corners and right house corner. A low groundcover, solid, links the other plantings together. Can't tell how your existing tree would possibly conflict with the proposed tree. (The third picture you posted was taken from a different position so the existing tree location shown could be seriously misleading.) You might want to consider moving the proposed tree farther back in the scene rather than placing it at a pure diagonal to the house corner. (I wouldn't know because we don't have the information.) A large shade tree is probably not in order. A flowering tree (such as redbud) might be a better size to use so close to the house. As far as what plants to use, gauge the heights and research what plants grow locally that could perform well.

Diane, dear, why did you ask here? And why did you not ask here; Landscaping .?