Finish cleaning it out and amend the soil. Then take pix of it to a local nursery for advice on native plants that will do well in the bed. That should take care of it for now, and you can take your time planning the final do-over.

Pleasant looking home.

There is a sidewalk below it, what is above it? I see what appears to be some brick as if an attempt to create a second sidewalk had been made -- but the step railing makes that impractical. There appears to be a second "wall" as well.

Two things you need to know before you do anything: What utilities, if any, are buried between sidewalk below and high ground and what local rules might apply that could limit your options.

If there are no impediments, I'd create two concrete black walls with the second creating level ground between it and the foundation of the home. I'd plant an evergreen hedge between the two walls -- perhaps holly. .

With cement, you could use some of the more interesting rocks as the "cap" of the two walls. Any rocks you don't use atop the wall could be partially buried with only the tops showing between the shrubs to deter weed growth and expedite maintenance.

@suezebell there were mostly large(yet very sad) ferns above that first level as well, and lots of misc weeds.

You make a good point about the utilities, I will definitely look into that. We also had to take out some trees on the main level which is why it’s no longer even. We had many evergreens on the side of the house and a few that flanked both sides of the front door but they were growing too close to the house and into the power lines so we had to remove them.

We really really want to do the two concrete walls but I think that’ll have to wait a while. We also need to redo the concrete steps as well since they’re very sloped!

Thank you all for the suggestions! We painted the exterior this past week and it looks SO much better! We have so many projects but will have to space them out due to cost. Was hoping to DIY the wall and make it look pretty! We have an awesome nursery we buy plants from and the people that work there are amazing! I think they would totally help by suggesting what to plant there!

I like the rock wall. Is it damaged? I'd make repairs before trying replacement. Concrete retaining wall is a modern look. Your house looks traditional to me.

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Is the top of the rock wall made of dirt or more rocks? Is the rock wall laid with mortar or just loosely piled?

Basalt or granite boulder retaining walls are very common in the PNW........there are entire neighborhoods in Seattle where every property has them!

If you do plan on replacing with a concrete wall(s) - which will certainly modernize the landscape - you need to be aware that installing a PIP concrete wall will require a lot of destruction of much of the front to complete. So don't be too hasty or too extravagant with what you plant now as it will just need to be ripped out down the road.

Forget about natives :-) Most PNW native plants are not very garden worthy and grow to a size unsuitable for this application. Instead, I'd focus on some inexpensive, low growing rockery plants - candytuft, heaths and heathers, aubrieta/rock cress, lithodora, creeping phlox, stonecrops, etc. Colorful and very low maintenance.

I would like that rock wall had it been built well. But it looks quite ragged. Still, I can see the appeal and think it fits the house era very well. Consider rebuilding the wall and fixing its deficiencies ... especially if it is drystracked now, as the demo would be a lot easier. It gives a certain charm that concrete will not. That said, I don't think the concrete is a horrible idea either. It's just that I pick a well built rock wall over it. In the. During the mid-twentieth century, many such rock walls were well made by DIY people otherwise inexperienced with mortaring.

These types of boulder rock walls are always dry stacked here. No need for mortaring as the ground never freezes more than an inch or so. And I have never seen one fail as a result.

That would make it easier to disassemble and rebuild, but mortar would make it easier to control the faces ... for a better look, I think. The rock looks small enough that it would be better if double thickness.

So I don’t think the wall is damaged at all. It is just dry stacked with lots of dirt in between. Above each level is dirt and the first level is quite wide which would allow for us to plant some larger plants there.

While the house is quite traditional we will ideally make some more modern updates for sure. We will eventually fence that top level with a wood/wire type fence.

I love the idea of a low maintenance plant wall but most of what I’ve seen in person looks quite messy...

Take a walk around a couple blocks of your house on the same side of the street for similar sunlight exposure. See what other people have planted. Anything that thrives in your area will be obvious. Other low maintenance examples and mixtures you can copy will often be seen at the entrances to restaurants and office buildings when they are professionally landscaped.

Here are some options for you to consider. Don't pour concrete. Try to keep the retaining wall in rocks if it's in good shape. You might want to consider a short fend to complement the house.

I'm not saying the wall is damaged. Just that it looks very roughshod/homespun ... not like a professional wall-builder would make. If it were rebuilt, it could look like an altogether higher quality feature. And be more durable.

Rebuild your wall, as Yardvaark has mentioned, then replant.

“it fits the house era very well. Consider rebuilding the wall and fixing its deficiencies ... especially if it is drystracked now, as the demo would be a lot easier. It gives a certain charm that concrete will not.”

I agree with this, though I don’t see a need for rebuilding the wall. Given a choice between a dry stack stone wall and concrete, I would pick the stone for all but the most starkly modern home. Concrete is a fairly boring material, and between the mess created to put in a concrete wall and the expense for something that isn’t an improvement to my eye, why go through the hassle if it is stable, functional, and suits the house. It is also more forgiving a material. A cracked concrete wall looks poorly cared for.

The slanted walkway I would replace as finances allow for safety reasons. When you do that, consider making the replacement wider, at least 4’ or more. Skinny walkways look pinched and unwelcoming.

@dig Doug that is awesome! Thanks for doing that. The new rock looks so nice!

"Given a choice between a dry stack stone wall and concrete, I would pick the stone..." I could not agree more and would pick stone for this cute house, too. But my grumbling about the wall is that it is not a quality stone wall. It is a thrown together wall by someone who didn't know what they were doing .. as if the rock were dumped and then raked into position. A good wall would not have extreme lumps, bumps and pointed undulations in the top and face. Rocks would be placed so that these surfaces has as little variation as possible. Nevertheless, there would be plenty enough to give it character and having it look like stone.