Dig Doug's Designs - WOW! I love your ideas! Especially adding the birdbath and bird house design. I have canna that I over winter so I can definitely put them into planters. Never thought to place planters on the steps as well. What do you propose to use as the landing material? You have something grey there. Thank you so much for your input and effort. In your 2nd pic - do you have a hibiscus one one side and the spirea on the other?

Many things are considered deer-resistant until they're hungry enough. I'd say the guaranteed ones would be the thorny plants (likely why your holly was fine, if it was an Ilex opaca) and plants with scented leaves--Salvias, Lavender, Rosemary. I have a Caryopteris "Dark Knight" in clay soil and it's doing amazingly well, has scented leaves, and you can control how big you let it get by how much you prune in the spring. Cut it back to 12 or 18" if you want a smaller shrub or just give it a trim if you want something big and blowsy. I have found that I need to stake them if I want them big--they tend to splay out in some of the brutal storms we get so my plan is to trim them further back this year to keep them a bit more "tight."

I'm not sure a matching row of anything is required on either side. The narrow bed edged by the sidewalk does limit what you can plant. Since that appears to be the sunniest spot, dwarf abelias could work (and fit) there. A few to consider are 'Kaleidoscope', 'Lemon Lime', 'Miss Lemon' or 'Confetti'. But there is no reason you can't mix it up with some other size appropriate broadleaved evergreen. Or even a dwarf conifer. And feel free to squeeze a few tropical-look annuals or temperennials like the cannas (which would look pretty stunning with the abelias). On the shadier, tree side, I'd assume you are not as restricted with the bed width because of no walkway? If so, widen the bed to accommodate other shade tolerant plantings that would fit.....maybe dwarf rhododendrons, pieris or kalmias and suitable perennials like hostas, which can appear very tropical with their big leaves. Or add caladiums for a more colorful tropical vibe. The point is that a single soldierly line of the same plant is boring and uninspired. They don't all have to be the same on either side so pick and choose to maximize contrast, texture and seasonal appeal. And I'd suggest just using annuals on the planting bed streetside of the walkway. With the typical excessively narrow walkway most houses have by default, large bushy plantings edging a narrow sidewalk will start to feel engulfing and intimidating and make the walkway feel even more narrow. I'd get rid of the those big green blobs to begin with. They are doing nothing to enhance the entry,

first you need to define how the front steps will be used.. and accessed from the driveway... in other words.. plan and build your path .. and do it so you dont end up with impossible to plant 3 foot deep beds at your foundation.. design and build beds you can actually something in .. and if the parch will need painting.. yo need to stand in there to do it.. add that extra 2 feet of nothing right at the foundation.. so you dont kill everything next time you have to paint ... can you give us pix from you standing in the middle of the road.. so we can see the whole front front yard ... most likely you need a small flowering tree or shrub in the lawn.. between the road the the new walkway.. and then some nice perennials in the beds at the foundation .. like a red bud.. and perhaps a hardy magnolia.. like a star mag .... https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=star+magnolia&iax=images&ia=images remember.. foundation plants are planted to hide the foundation.. NOT ON THE FOUNDATION... ken