Not a pro - but as much as I love that weeping cherry tree, I agree it should go - or be moved, if possible. I'd keep the bed in front of the porch with low, compact perennials. Hopefully, someone will come along to steer you in the right direction for the rest of it. I love the inspiration pavers! That would make an awesome front walk.

If you get regular snow that requires shoveling opt for stamped concrete rather than pavers. Offer the cherry tree to neighbors, someone young and strong enough to transplant it.

I and the birds love the weeping cherry too but it grows like a weed and is too tall. I didn't think about a tree that size being able to be moved but I guess why not, right? I'll check into that.

Hi L H, I could list lots of plants that would well with your home, like boxwood, panicle hydrangeas, Tor spirea and many more. But if you've already invested on the inside of the house, then I really recommend finding a local designer to come up with a plan for the outside. I think it would be money well spent and would avoid any mistakes like overplanting, or the wrong plant in the wrong place. One of your local garden centers or nurseries might offer the service or could possibly recommend someone to you. A blank slate would be exciting for any landscape designer!

James

I would hire a landscape designer or architect, you might avoid making an expensive mistake & they might make suggestions of things to do you haven’t even thought about.... well worth the money.

I actually did have one landscaper by. He said he charged 75 an hour which why I was OK with but after calling him after 3 weeks he showed up a week later with a hand written piece of paper and there were 10 roses in the design . I had provided inspiration pictures can he had walked the rest of my yard and there's not a rose in site. So I was a little dissolution to buy that experience and he did not ask for payment

"I actually did have one landscaper by. He charged ..." You'll need a designer capable of designing HARDSCAPE. There's no point in talking to anyone about plants or roses until the hardscape design is completed. In spite of people telling you to get a designer, you'll be ahead if you think through the basic concepts of what you're after before hiring the designer. If you don't, then you're at their whim, which is fine if they're good, but not so fine if their ideas are wacky. You need to be able to distinguish between the two.

It's unusual to have the door for guests and the one for everyday family use separated by no more than 10.' It'll take deliberate action in order to keep guests oriented toward the correct door. A short barricade wall, or a taller screen would help.

Presently, you're bringing the main walk about 15' or 20' away from the house. Given the grade difference, I'd suggest shortening this distance & even still, you'll probably need a bit of short retaining wall. (Not rock dumped in an elongated pile to simulate retaining wall!) The picture is not dealing with planting ... only a way to make the front door seem welcoming and sequester the family entrance.

It would be helpful to actually see the driveway.

IMO all your large trees are in the wrong locations

Thank you all for taking the time. Yarkvaark - I should have been clearer. People can use any door but one door is the "formal" door vs. the mudroom door. I like the edging approach to the driveway. For hardscape, we have a plan to have walkways to both doors. I've attached a rough sketch.

Beverly I'm in complete agreement on the large trees. I think they're just too big for the house at this point. The plan is to take them both out.

Doug, that is a very nice rendition and ideas I never even thought about. I kind of like that squared off planting area in front. Is the low growing plant intended to be some sort of very low weeping japanese maple?

As requested, here's a wider view of the house and drive. The walkways, shrub removal and bed prep and planting key plants will happen before the drive is paved.

Does the driveway need to be this wide?

Maryann it's even wider! The 2 car garage and then another space for my husband's plow. He has a business out of our house and we have UPS and other trucks regularly so there's space for them to turn around. I can't believe I put up with the dirt for 13 years and I'm so excited not too! We're in a rules setting in our driveway is actually 750'. The top 150 will be fully paved and the remainder will be done with asphalt millings.

"People can use any door but one door is the "formal" door vs. the mudroom door. ... For hardscape, we have a plan to have walkways to both doors." I understand and wasn't inimating differently. In the sketch I uploaded, one would enter the mudroom door left of the screen, its walk connecting directly to the driveway. The area left of the mudroom door was not included in the picture I used, so cannot be seen. It's merely suggested. I since pasted on a sliver more of house/driveway grabbed from another picture. See if it makes sense now. I tried to make the point that you must differentiate the use of one door from the other, for the uninitiated guests, but don't know if you agreed with that as you did not mention. Also don't know if you agreed with handling the grade change issue.

If you already have a plan for hardscape, you should be sharing it here.

Hi Yardvaark, the new pic didn't come through. in terms of the grading...its impossible to see because of the cherry tree but there is a porch about 1' up from the ground level. The overall grade change isn't as dramatic as it looks in the pic. The idea about joining the two walks was to be a little more cohesive with the front and create a planting bed to soften the foundation of the porch.

We are definitely beginning with the hardscape. I guess my brain just wants to jump forward to pretty plants!

I actually kind of like the 2 tall evergreens but 2 is not as strong as 3 in a design. I would consider getting rid of that brow of greenery that joins the 2 columnars and find a delicate something with volume and contrasting form to bridge the 2 tall elements, or add another evergreen further away so as to not block windows, maybe a spruce. I think some spruces have black cones which could look ha ndsome. A purple weeping beech would look nice with your beige siding, I also like larches for brightness and delicacy. A red bud in Spring would also look great, or a flowering dogwood, maybe a magnolia. Purples and maroons are going to look good there. I agree, it would be nice to have a prominent path to the formal door, with the informal door sequestered a bit.

My vision

"... the new pic didn't come through." It is the edited original picture posted above.

The point I was making about the grade change is that the farther forward (toward street) you bring the walk, the more difficult (and therefore expensive) it is to deal with. I don't know if you understand this.

"The idea about joining the two walks was to be a little more cohesive with the front." Have you analyzed how you use these doors? Is is common for you to walk out of one door and immediately enter the other before doing anything else? Or do you walk out of a door, do something, then walk into the other door?

Not sure what "beginning with hardscape" means. If there is not a hardscape plan completed, it would be a waste of time to think about planting.

Thank you all! I love seeing the different visions. Opens my mind to new ideas. I really appreciate all the feedback.

I think it is still unclear how far to the right you would like the drive to be. Should it end at garage door? Extend to the small window? Extend to mud room door?

For the path to the front door, how far down the drive would you want it to connect? Do you want it to be in place of the current path to the door?