that yard would be beautiful with proper grading and tier levels.

I'd probably level off the area in front of the windows and make it a little patio. Something like they've done here.

You should really hire a landscape designer to draw up something for you. Hopefully DigDoug see this. He always has great designs.

Here's some other split level homes with similar yards to yours.

First of all: I love japanese maples!

I'm no gardener, but your entry can be transformed into something lovely. Just realise that the cheapest way will cost time and a fast fix is expensive. I'd start by widening the steps to give your entry some more grandeur. And add feet of paving under the windows, so you can easily clean your windows and maybe place a low bench. Personally I love a mixture of japanese and french/english gardens. Rocks, lavender, hostas, rosemary, creeping thyme. Low plants near the entry way. Either hire a pro or take your time, but first get the basics done (hardscaping). Don't think easy and fast, but find out what your deam garden would look like and see if there's a way to achieve that goal.

The house would look better and the steps would be easier to maintain (keep dirt off of) if you added cheekwalls to the steps.

Insofar as planting goes, I'd keep it simple with a couple of shrubs at the house corners, some seasonal color near the entrance and groundcover the rest. If no groundcover, then replace the lawn or work on improving the grass.

Are you planning on doing this all yourself? Grading and installing retaining walls is an expensive and time consuming proposition. And sloped front yards are pretty common here in the PNW (and that slope is not very severe) so I'd be inclined to work with what you've got rather than reinvent the wheel. But that depends on your budget and timeline....big budget and plenty of time, then go for it!!

Skilled landscape designers are everywhere here so hiring a pro to get you going in the right direction would be my first choice. They can help you clean up and emphasize your entry approach (cheek walls are almost non-existant in this area) and delineate bedlines and recommend plant selection and placement. The lawn is pretty much trashed so there is the choice of renovating the lawn when you replant, replacing with sod (pricey) or if mowing, tending (aerating, weeding and fertilizing) and watering a lawn is not your choice, covering the area with a site-suitable groundcover.

How rapidly this can be made to "look good" and somewhat established and mature depends on how much money you want to throw at it :-) You are not going to find full sized plants at a regular nursery.....larger, more mature trees and shrubs are typically restricted to a few that specialize in dealing with landscapers. They don't come cheap and are often harder to establish with a greater risk of failure than if you start with something smaller. And smaller, more affordable and manageable plants will grow........you just need to have some degree of patience :-) But even with smaller and younger trees and shrubs, you can have an attractive looking and lush landscape that will only develop more fully over time.

My advice is to hire a pro and get it done right from the get-go!! Save yourself the DIY trial and error headaches and expense.

We did a similar thing at our old house in removing all the shrubbery in front of the house. We used castle wall to create a raised bed, which was beautiful. We then put in dwarf ninebark shrubs (extremely low maintenance) alternating with lavender plants. On the other side, I planted a pollinator garden that blooms from spring through fall.

"... (cheek walls are almost non-existent in this area) ..." In every area actually! They have become scarce everywhere over the last decades -- not because they're not useful or beautiful, but because they cost money. In the same way that front walks have shrunk to skimpy and undersized proportions, builders have eliminated cheekwalls to save a few bucks. Unfortunately, this means that steps must look unfinished. They're either going to stick rustically up above grade, or if inset, dirt is going to continuously spill onto every step, creating an eternal maintenance chore.

I agree with Gardengal about retaining walls & terracing the front yard ... why bother with the expense since it is not needed in order for anything to function? You would get more bang for the buck out of cheekwalls and plantings.

@Dig Doug's DesignsI love your idea. May I know what software do you use to create that overlay 3D? What are the plants you had in the photo?

Thanks for all the great ideas. One thing I am finalizing now is to throw the retaining wall idea out. I am not so convinced about cheekwalls though because we got pine needles all the times and they still fall on top of the steps to create dirts, which will get stuck in the corner of the steps and cheekwalls. And THAT is harder to sweep away than without cheekwalls. What Dig Doug's Designs has is wider steps and I had the same vision in my mind actually.

I use Realtime Landscape Architect. The plants are: Chamaecyparis pisifera ' Baby Blue ' , "Magic Carpet" Spirea, Softtouch Holly, Dwarf Weeping Spruce, "Dragon's Fire" Dwarf Laceleaf Japanese Maple & Dwarf Nepeta. Many substitutes could be used, as well.

A couple of notes:

- You don’t actually want to plant as densely or as close to the walk as in Doug’s sketch or in three years you will need to do a lot of pruning and in 5 or 8 you will be ripping out plants and starting all over again with many of them. Add large pots or a birdbath or art or annuals while you wait for some of your woody plants to put on size.

- Whatever you plant needs to be sized appropriately for it ultimate growth. Plant tags often give plant sizes at an unrealistic 5 years, so be sure to look up on a reputable website such as the Missouri Botanic Garden’s Plantfinder to find the actual expected size.

- You have a big overhang that creates a rain shadow that will always be dry without irrigation. Be sure to plan on irrigation for anything within that rain shadow. Regardless, don’t plant anything so close that it will grow to within a foot or so of the house.

- Wider steps are great to make a welcoming entry.

- Notice in both sketches that the plants in front of the windows are lower with taller plants framing it or placed further down the slope to not block the windows.

- Plan to have some of your plants evergreen for a winter presence and some with either colored foliage or flowers for interest.

- Sod or hydro seed the lawn at the appropriate time of year for your area which may be now.

I f you use dwarf cultivars, as shown, your spacing will be fine. Some light pruning over the years will prevent any size problems. The under plantings around the maple are annuals, or you might use Lily-of-the-Valley.

Even dwarfs grow.

Existing pleasant flowing contour is more attractive than proposals posted here that chop it up with walls etc. - terracing is for where slopes fall off too abruptly to be usable otherwise.

Use that curved staircase to your advantage. It's the best front feature.