I feel a bit like a broken record (for the youngsters out there, it's a flat round thing that plays music in a machine, and when it's "broken", it skips and repeats the same thing over and over) but I'll write it again: Do a search of the forum for "blank slate", "foundation plantings", and "front yard". Read through the threads that turn up for a very basic education on what considerations are necessary when planning a landscape. There can be a lot more to it than getting some suggestions for specific plants and where to put them, and you may find that you get several completely different takes on what you "should" do, if not downright contradictory ones. Or you may get none, because landscapes are very personal things. Or at least they should be. Believe me, you will be more confused and unsure of what to do than you were before unless you are willing to take everything you learn and consolidate the parts you like into one plan. You wouldn't walk into a furniture store with a photo of an empty room and ask them what you should put in it. They'll sell you as much stuff as they can get you to pay for, but will it be "good design"? The alternatives are to hire a designer to help determine what will please you, and then help you pull it off, or to study, read, absorb, learn about different plants, experiment, and come up with your own design. I'll also repeat my suggestion that you go to the library or a very good bookstore and look at everything you can find on gardens. Once you have seen what is possible, you will know what you want for your own home. It's a beautiful home, a good landscape design will look awesome with it. Have you considered hiring a very good pro?

It's a very attractive house, and doesn't need a lot of fussy landscaping in the front; I'd suggest you stick to something simple. Because of the height of the entry steps, the elevation of the front lawn relative to the street level, and the height of the foundation, the overall effect is a little dizzying; this may mostly be the photo, but it's likely to be at least partly the way it would look in person. So, I think the major issue is to tie the height of the facade back to the ground level. One way to do that would be to add a tall-ish, but not too large, accent tree off the left front corner of the house. Something that stays fairly narrow and maxes out at about the height of the gutters (or the lower edge of the roof) might work. Maybe even an old-fashioned lilac, depending on the conditions (sun, soil, etc). This would also balance the much longer right edge of the house (which includes the below-grade garage) with the shorter left edge. Or, you might get more mileage out of two large, but not too wide- spreading, shrubs; one in front of the steps and one to the left of the basement window (placed so it will not block the window when it's full-grown). This would tie the rather high main floor windows back to the ground level (the bottom of the window would be a foot or so above the top of the shrub) and would give a hint of the feeling that you were climbing in the treetops when you were approaching the door - that might be nice! One comment on the other photos, although you're not asking for advice on the other areas. Many of the plantings seem to be too close to the house - a very common mistake, especially with new gardeners, and most especially in small yards. The plants will do much better, and you'll be much happier with the effect, if you leave a few feet between the foundation and the plants. Narrow beds give a skimpy look and make the yard appear smaller and cramped; a wider bed more than makes up for the extra space it takes and makes the yard appear larger. The difference between a 10' wide lawn and a 7' wide one isn't as apparent as the difference between a 2' wide bed and a 5' wide one. I hope you get what I'm trying to say; it's late and I might be babbling a bit! You could improve on the beds in the side yards by using an edging material, such as wooden "bender board", to give some definition to the edges. Your back yard is really nice - those mature trees provide a great buffer from neighbors. It looks like a very relaxed and comfortable oasis; I'd try to keep it simple back there too. And one last point - your lawn looks fine! If you really wanted a uniform green carpet, you could have the back yard rototilled and install sod. Because it's not a large space, it probably would not cost too much - although I haven't priced it out. Otherwise, a few seasons of following the ideas others have given about lawn care should do the trick. I use corn gluten every spring and it makes a world of difference. Keep us posted on your progress!

We moved to a condo five years ago (for half the year). It's 1900 sq feet, 3 br, 2 bath and we thought we'd live here for a lot more years. We got a dog who hates downtown because of the noise. Additionally because it's a high rise, we can't barbecue and I can't garden. Plus, we discovered that while we think things need to be redone (such as making our outdated windows energy efficient as well as impact resistant (we live in FL), the majority of the condo owners don't think it's important. And our condo fees keep rising. So we decided to look for a house. We found land walking distance to downtown in a quiet residential area. We will build a 2600 sq foot home on a 6100 sq foot lot. I will be able to barbecue, garden and we'll have our own pool, which means I don't have shlep everything downstairs just to go for a swim. I will also have an oversized art studio to work in. For us it is a lateral move in terms of what we sell this place for vs what we pay for our build, but we'll save a lot because we won't have the monthly condo fees which are high in our building. Interesting when my parents were in their mid 50's back in the early 80's they decided to sell their colonial home in a desirable neighborhood and they bought a larger home on 2 acres in a more desirable neighborhood. They bought a ranch home. I asked my Mom back then why a ranch since she loved colonials. She said, "we're not getting any younger and we have to think of the future." They then redid the home adding a master suite and were happy in that house for many years. For them, a bigger home that was on one level, looking out on their gardens was what made my parents happy. Decide what it is you want. Don't figure you'll be saving money so much as changing your lifestyle to suit the next phase of your life.

I wouldn't paint the brick on this house. It will create long term maintenance and I think that currently the brick is really attractive and adds character. if there isn't good lighting on the porch, consider adding some, and you might want to paint the front door a color that will look nice with the current colors but will stand out more. Getting rid of the random stepping stones will help as will adding a path and planting a garden. Make the bed generously sized, a minimum of 6' deep with crisply maintained edge, either a masonry mowing strip set at ground level or a V shaped cut edge. I would have at least a few evergreen shrubs for year round interest and some flowers near the porch. I like the placement of the pot by the junction between the garage and the front door, but would suggest replacing it with a larger one. For the path, choose one of the types of masonry already present (red porch, gray concrete drive, yellow brick walls) and use that; don't introduce a fourth kind of masonry in such a small space. For the porch planter, use something quite shade tolerant such as fernsor many of the plants sold for indoor use since it is set well back on the porch.