Can you add a photo taken when standing where the driveway meets the public sidewalk, looking toward the front door so that we can better see the front walkway and plantings there?

Are the shutters over the windows permanent and closed at all times?

Is the roof color brown or pink-toned?

How much property do you own to the right of the drive, and is there a gate close to the garage?

Florida?

Thank you for your respond,its is a Florida house,I am not currently leaving in the house,I will go and take picture in a few hour.

There is a gate to the right of the garage that we need to keep.

Unless the house belongs to you, I hesitate to comment in a public forum.

The house belongs to me,I am remodeling before moving in.

Dig Doug..like your mock up..a path is a good idea isn't it?

I agree...your idea for a walk from the sidewalk is good.

Thanks..functional and attractive..

Thank you,any idea for color?

You guys are great!!! I really like the idea of the path to the front door.

do you mean color for the house?..plants?..

House color,plants I will have to do my homework and see what works here in south Florida.thank you all for your ideas,I really appreciated.

check out other houses in Florida..take pics..steal ideas..you have a nice house..it's not awful as it is but with some work could be even prettier..post pics when you're finished!..

All the plants shown will work.

Dig Doug,if you are so kind can you please give me some of the names of the plants to look for,sorry for my ignorance. Thank you

Fatsia, Fancy Hebe, Dr Brown Ti Plant, Caladium, Pampas Grass, King Palm, Live Oak (if needed- I can't tell what the existing tree is), Painted Fingernail Bromeliad, Lantana, Sago Palm, Pelargonium (potted plant)....(just call me Doug).

The current front walk from the drive looks too narrow, and the garden beds both along the walk and to the left of the door are too narrow. If it is in the budget, plan to move the walkway to a minimum of 5 feet from the building and widen it. That will give you a more generous garden, remove the the skinny bed to the street side of the walkway, and give you a walk wide enough for comfort and not crowded by plants needing frequent trimming. Right now everything is in skinny rows. I would also remove the swing and plan to incorporate that space into the garden, either with a small water feature such as an overflowing jar, or some art, or some low plants. You don't want to hide or crowd the approach to the door.

If you own enough property to the right of the drive, I would plant a small tree over there about half way between your drive and the neighbor's and midway between the fence and the sidewalk.

Your large tree gives the yard character and will help reduce cooling costs. It will also influence what will grow to the left side of the door since it will provide shade and compete for moisture with whatever plants you put in. Before removing what is there remember that establishing new plants may need extra care. If you decide on a central front walk, be sure to avoid doing major damage to the tree's roots.

You won't get the most useful specific plant suggestions without information on your growing zone and the amount of sun the area gets, particularly influenced by the direction the house faces which can be determined by finding the house on a map. A north facing house will have the front in full shade, while south facing will have both more sun and heated masonry adjacent to the gardens. You may want to ask on the Florida Gardening forum or visit a few good local nurseries for specific plant suggestions. Think about foliage color and texture as well as flowers, and be sure that some of the plants retain nice foliage during winter.

i would plan on doing all the hardscaping and painting before working on the gardens themselves so that you aren't damaging the plants. My personal taste would be to keep the house in a relatively neutral pastel color such as sage green or gray with the trim a slight darker shade of the same color. Make your door brighter or lighter since it is recessed. I don't think the current color which looks like a pale olive green on my screen is a problem. Do you not like it?

Thank you,excited to imagine the changes,to the right of the driveway I cannot plant anything because that's the gate for the boat,My husband just told me that is planning to continue the driveway to make it easier to get the boat into the backyard, I would like a different color to symbolize our new beginning in the house. I am concern that by continuing the driveway the house landscaping will look unbalanced on the left.

The house is west facing.