I second Yardvaark's comment on the plants on the side of the house near the AC. They are absolutely too close to the wall. Whenever you buy plants pay attention to the mature heights and widths. If a plant will be 5 ft wide at maturity, plant it at least 2 1/2 ft from a wall or fence, otherwise it will lean. Fill in with annuals and perennials while it's still small. And while I agree with screening the AC, be sure to leave room for air flow around the unit. Crowding it with greenery will interfere with its efficiency. Adding trellis to the open space beneath the porch is the quickest way to cover that void. See the picture below. You could paint it to blend with the brick or match the house color to make it stand out.The terraced area off the back deck was an attempt to add level space for a sitting area. If it seems rocky it is likely because they put down gravel. Consider putting down pavers so the area can be used more often. The end of this terrace where the path goes down the hill looks like a good place for a fire pit if that interests you. The few shrubs along that terrace edge are a good idea to keep people from falling over the edge. Add more evergreen shrubs to make it safer.

A tree's height is not much a concern insofar as "overwhelming" a house. In fact, houses without trees overhead have a tendency to look unprotected, "naked" ... or somehow "pasted" on top of the ground. (Rather, it is the low hanging limbs & branches of trees that make a house seem "overwhelmed" by foliage.) The trees at the left side of the picture frame already do a lot to make your home look integrated into the surroundings. And we see you already have another (what will be a good size) tree at the right side of the picture. I can't see that your landscape is really calling for another tree in the location of the red circle. I think it would seem like too much once the existing tree becomes larger. (But if you were to put a small tree there, I think it would look much better at a diagonal off of the house corner, instead of being set so close to the window.) Consider that the red circle might be a better place for colorful annuals, as a cheerful greeting to whoever enters, and some groundcover since you already seem to have an adequate amount of shrubs. BTW, I'd trim the shrubs in front of the windows lower -- to the bottom of the window.

Great advice already, I just wanted to give support as a fellow renter (regarding landscaping). We sold our house and decided to rent for a while ... I went from having a yard that won awards to having a yard with not one plant. No way could I live that way! We’ve been here two years now and it looks really nice. Neighbors compliment us all the time. The biggest challenge has been: How much do we spend on a house we don’t own? I think we found a good balance for us. We definitely heard lots of, “WHY are you spending time and money on someone else’s house?!” Well, right now it’s our house and we’ve enjoyed every dime spent. :) We’re well aware we won’t get it back financially, but the investment has still been worth it for us, because we love landscaping and have a passion for it. I totally understand not everyone feels that way. I did things a bit different than if this was our “forever” home. I keep future renters in mind, so have planted with more drought-tolerant plantings, small to mid-size shrubs (so that nothing can get overgrown with lack of care), smaller beds, easy care perennials, native ornamental grasses, ground covers. I’ve used bird baths, yard art, etc, to fill in some areas. I do annuals in pots and hanging baskets, rather than in beds. We found free rock to use as edging and boulder art (check your local trade pages online and/or ask around for plants, hardscape, anything). It’s tough for me to not go overboard, to not to do exactly what I want .... it’s been a lesson in restraint. But very rewarding! Our house looks loved. And you have more to start with than we did, it’s really going to look nice! Enjoy! (PS: We aren’t in an HOA, great advice from Denita about checking on that.) ETA: Just noticed your hell strip. IF you can plant there (and even want to!), I wanted to share how we did ours here — one side is quite long, so I just dug up a bed around 4-5 ft long on each side of the driveway. I planted a few drought tolerant perennials around Mexican Feather grass in the center of each one. I used stone as border in between the beds and grass. We have lots of dog walkers and they always express appreciation at what we’ve planted. :) This was in spring, by summer they’ve filled in completely. I broke this side up with a stepping stone/rock and Asian Jasmine. This was the smaller strip that meets the neighbor’s, you see we left grass on the other side. Even doing just a small section at least breaks up all the boring grass (and uses less irrigation). It’s made a big difference in curb appeal. Literally. :D

elise, Welcome to Florida and Florida gardening! Somethings we don't know about you: a. How much will you be involved with your plants? b. Will you live here year-round? Your #3: Some plants are particularly susceptible to nematodes - the invisible killer in FL soils. The plant may need to be replaced after a couple of years. Duranta is one of those... but it does give a good visual "pop" if you want to draw the eye to a ring around the tree. Liriope would be a darker green, and perhaps live longer. WHAT I DO: If your answer to "a." is at least "somewhat involved", here is what I do that supplies me with "pop" and ever-changing scenery: I have the Florida equivalent of cottage gardens in two small areas, one in shade and one in sun, located outside my best viewing window and door. The shade garden does not require much care. The sun garden, since it gets some hours of overhead sun, by June needs watering almost daily. In the shade, it's mainly a red and green palette (bromeliads, crotons, red shrimp plant, coleus, and orchids). These do well planted or in pots with a saucer under each pot so it does not root into the ground. (Google: tropical plant images and names) Azalea is happy in shade, but best when planted; comes in white, pink, purple, or red. It blooms for a month or less, so will not affect your color palette all year. I love my dwarf azaleas sold at Publix around Valentines Day: easy to plant because so small, they bloom on and off on when the weather tells them to, as opposed to large azalea which only bloom once a year. In the sunny garden I have a different look each year. Since most plants bloom best when given sun, the care and watering are worth it to me. I buy a few small annual bedding plants when they start coming into nurseries when cool weather begins: snapdragon and pansy - which will die first, pentas, etc. - whatever is pretty to me. They provide color and surprises until the hot days and nights diminish and maybe finish them. I aim for butterfly attractors, but also slip in some "just for me". I'm poor at growing from seed, except for golden cosmos and zinnia; these transplant well for me into this garden. I planted a 10-pack of Mexican heather (Cuphea) to edge my sunny garden, last November; it was very fresh at the nursery; it is still lush and I think it will still look good next year (if the nematodes don't get it). FL annual plants - images As others have suggested, consider butterfly attractors - both hosts and nectar plants. Having butterflies and bees bring a landscape alive. They bring a vibrancy that is not seen in most of those green but "boring" yards where nothing more happens than a yard service coming in to mow every two weeks.