Shane, It looks like you have two distinct groups in that pot. The first thing I think I would do would be to seperate the two clumps. When you repot you should really consider improving the quality of the soil, it looks to be rather heavy on peat. As far as the larger clump goes unless you are shooting for a twin trunk specimen you could go ahead and remove the very lowest branch that emerges at the soil line. This of courrse can be rooted very easily. I think I would plant it more vertically as well. It looks like you have a few branches going on and that is good. Once you get to this point it will be easier to see where to go from there. But realistically it will take some time to thicken up. The other clump is really so small that it will need even more time to grow out, it could also be divided according to your design wishes. By the way, sorry I missed your question in my post in the gallery earlier this year, I'm not in there very often. Norm

I agree with the previous suggestion of moving the lights to the sides of the garage doors. Also consider painting the garage doors to blend in with the house- they are really standing out with the white color, and the focus is on them instead of the front door, which looks dark right now. White (or another color) could be used there to help it stand out and look welcoming. I would also consider moving your urn to the front porch with some annuals- again, more welcoming, and the welcoming feel will be at the door instead of the garage. The beds around the house are extremely narrow. Make sure that you get shrubs that are small at maturity. It almost looks like you have hollies there now- they get quite large, though take to pruning well. Maybe even a groundcover with some height would be best- don't know your zone or sun exposure, but liriope can grow in any sun conditions and looks like it would cover your foundation. Maybe mix in some daylilies. Repeat that groundcover at the right corner so that it's cohesive. You could visit a local garden center for advice. Also, there's some lawn to the left of the photo- if that's yours, you could think about planting there. I really like the overall look of your house. Some simple plantings and simple changes would do a lot.

1. Your house has great bones. It would look beautiful in any color. I'm advocating preserving the brick, though, because using that brick color was integral to the design of the house, is more appropriate for the era, and also because you can't get that brick anymore. It's historic & perhaps even rare. It's a golden color with a lot of depth & character, looks good no matter what the season, has a natural earthiness to it, and makes the house fit in with the land. And when the sun shines on it, it exudes a warm glow that's just so homey and lovely. 2. The Great Painted Brick Debate: caroleoh brings up a controversial post from last year about a house with gorgeous brick that the owner wanted to paint. The issues with that house were different though. The brick was only on the front, with vinyl siding on the rest of the house. The house looked nice...from one angle. The house looked disjointed from all other views. Also, the windows on that house were awful: unattractive vinyl windows, placed badly too (a lot of tiny windows on a massive facade). The owner especially didn't like how the windows were so prominent. The dark brick, though lovely, just made the bad windows jump out at you. She wanted to paint the entire house a soft, light color to unify the sides and downplay the ugly windows. She did, and it worked. There was a lot of heated argument about painting that brick, though. It was beautiful brick, but it's like the builder tried to cut costs elsewhere by using lots of vinyl, and the house ended up looking awkward for it. That pretty brick juxtaposed with all that vinyl didn't work. 3. Your example, snagd, is gorgeous. Your house could probably wear those colors & accessories very well, and I really can understand why you'd want to "update" the look of the house. In lots of cases, that works for the better. But I feel strongly that pretty old houses like yours are a dying breed. People "update" them or tear them down merely because of fashion. Here you have this exquisite historical home with authentic colors and design, all of which are still fabulous & beautiful. But you want something else, and want to make superficial changes that will destroy the historic character of the home, and perhaps the neighborhood too. (I'm saying all this without anger, btw, just trying to present a reasonable case for historic preservation.) Besides, if you clean the brick instead of painting it, you'll have more $$$ for the interior & landscaping :)

That stone alcove over the stove would bug me from a cleaning perspective. But major bucks to tear out. How likely are you to do that? You can paint the cabinets by yourself, but you need to use nasty oil based paint and a sprayer. My friend had hers done, the people took them down and sprayed them out in her barn (so it could be done with proper equipment and ventilation) and then they were put back up. You could do that yourself but only if you were very handy as far as taking them down and putting them back up. If you don't prep them properly, the paint will just peel off. My landlady paints her kitchens with very little prep. every couple of years, the paint does not stick. I'm lazy. I'd live with it and save up for the redo. Meanwhile I'd paint the shelving units next to the fireplace the same color as the wall and call it good. I wouldn't paint one stone wall and not the other. I painted a cheapo fireplace wall once for that same friend who did her cabinets. It's a lot of work but in her case it was a fake stone backwall behind a wood stove. Stone is stone-colored. If you want white, cover the stone with white tiles. Painted stone looks weird. But that's just my opinion, YMMV so if you love the look of painted stone, go for it. But I wouldn't do it in the vain hopes it's going to look like something else, other than painted stone.