Nice new walkway! Should we deduce from your username that you are in Pennsylvania?

What's the bed depth at the corners? Seems small. Many experts here would recommend something fairly large at the corners (6 foot or more) and your beds look a little narrow for that.

Edited to add: I agree with your color choices wholeheartedly! Same as mine. Coreopsis works great for me here in Missouri. Currently mine are covered with cheery yellow blooms.

I have a misleading username, sorry! We're actually in Southern NH.

I wouldn't be opposed to expanding the beds on the right side of the porch. I think I would need to add some sort of small retaining wall or mow strip to provide some support.

I went out and took a quick picture of some of my coreopsis and ornamental grass. I think both might do well for you. Are you in Z4?

Those look very nice!

According to usda.gov, we are in 5b (-15 to -10 F).

Do you enjoy gardening? How much time do you have to spend?

While I enjoy gardening, I can't say I have a ton of time to devote to it. We have two young boys that eat up a lot of our time.

Thank you for having a nice, wide steps and walk to match it. Automatically your house looks more welcoming than the typical.

It is hard to give feedback with pictures that don't show a complete comprehensive, connected scene. It would be better if you took the camera straight out the front door and walked about 25' or 30' past the porch, looking back, and took a series of slightly overlapping shots that showed from far left (including space beyond the house) all the way to space beyond the far right of the house. A good current example of picture-taking on a current thread is: srb2015's thread. It includes everything from not too far away and also has one picture from quite farther away that shows the front yard as it might look from the across-the-street neighbor's house.

Wow, that's very nice of you! Thanks!

I will take more photos asap this morning. Just have to get the kiddos to school.

Edit, more photos below. One photo of the view from the mailbox:

Pburgh, you did not follow the directions for picture taking.

Ok, let me get out there again. Stay tuned...

I like stones in landscapes but not beached stones or stranded stones. Beached stones are ones that are sitting too high on the ground like your largest one. Instead of being partially buried like a natural stone it looks like it was dropped by a mini-excavator, which it probably was. Stranded stones are like your smaller one on the other side of the walk, it's just sitting there all by itself. If I this were my yard I would excavate under the large stone and let it sit deeper and more naturally, then I would pick up the smaller one and place it near the large one, making one grouping. I might even look for a third one in a complementary size to go with them.

Yardvaark, is this panorama sufficient? It was taken 30' out the front door and covers about 180-degrees.

Making a panorama shrinks the portions of the scene I want to see to very small, which when enlarged is very blurry. What I want to see is the area within the black frame. You should be able to show it in 4 pictures (which will be at least 4 times the size of the panorama.) This is only for the foundation planting area so don't need extra sky or lawn. Just what's in the black frame.

Thank you for your patience. :) How are these?

Yes. That is how pictures is done.

This a suggestion for a general layout scheme. It consists of small trees (made of large shrubs) perennials (purple, putty and yellow), annuals (red), and groundcover (blue), and one shrub (green and barely visible.) The immediate problem I see is lack of much green in the wintertime. Maybe the "purple" perennials could be swapped for evergreen shrubs if there is such a thing where you live ...I forgot where. (This is one of the puzzle solving goals of plant picking.) Any color in the picture is not a literal suggestion. It's just to differentiate one thing from the next.

The flat rock could be moved to an area where it would show (low groundcover.)

That's great! I love the idea of flanking the sides of the house with small trees. I'll study this a bit and let you know if I have any questions. I really appreciate your input!

BTW - We're in Southern New Hampshire.

The walk is great, as are the columns, but I worry that a conventional border of low flat small fine textured things, even if colorful, isn't strong enough when seen from the approach by car down that long driveway. Maybe a small tree & shrubs on the other side of the walk in front of what is probably the mudroom? Balanced on the other side of drive with a cluster of horizontal branching trees partly screening the parking area & garage doors. Either or both could rise out of a bed of low-growing evergreens. Snow piles might be an issue? Also would like to see some bold texture...big hosta or rhododendrons.

I agree with KentC and would tweak the stone some. Also, being in NH I think you need something for winter interest. Wish Babs would comment.

I missed KentC's post, but agree with it, too.

Samarnn, it is taking my drawing too literally as it's not a suggestion of color or texture. It is predominantly a scheme of arranging, and to some degree size, although that comes with some pretty broad leeway. Color, texture, plant personality & other details are characteristics that will be products of whatever plants the owner chooses. I'm just trying to get them in the ball park. (... A ball park that is different than the de facto standard skinny evergreens at house corners connected by a hedge across the front.) I think you bring up a good point, though .... that having everything be fine textured is NOT an ideal. Some boldness & courseness as part of the scheme is a good thing and adds interest.