Jenn: I am in SoCal and have a spanish style home with an arcade, also, but mine faces north. I had a Dracaena by my front door for years until it grew too tall. Then it went to the backyard until it grew too tall for the overhang by the back door. I think that is a perfect choice for your (and mine) architecture. I hate to get rid of these "old friends", so I had to put it in a hidden corner. I also had what I think is called Dumb Cane under my porch light. It has now grown too large and is in my hidden corner. I have a very large Mother-in-law's tongue by the front door which has bloomed once in 12 years. It has the most delightful fragrance. It compliments the architecture, also.

That's a lovely facade, Turner 58800- I think you've hit the nail in the head: those 4 columns below the pediment could have a little more presence. As for a railing: the porch is quite low so not dangerous- perhaps a a formal evergreen box hedge planted all along the porch edge, kept manicured at a relatively low (1-2 feet) height above the porch floor would suit the style of the facade. Congratulations on your new home and have fun with it!

"The only pruning that should be done is to remove any damaged or dead portions or to remove any odd, wayward growth." I have to disagree. That pruning is fine if man's concern is limited to keeping things more or less as nature dictates. But plants have demonstrated their ability to be one of the most 'plastic' art mediums ever discovered. They can be transformed into anything that suits the plants growth habit. I'm not talking about making forests out of fescue or lawns out of oak trees, but creating forms that suit the plant's nature and mans' purposes ... like how cutting and polishing a diamond makes it vastly more valuable to man. The yard tree form itself is a primarily a creation of man. He removes the lower limbs so as to fit a huge plant into a relatively small space. Otherwise, in a sunny condition, trees would keep their branches all the way to the ground. These new pictures are infinitely better. Now we can see what you have. Trisha, do you know if these are yews? They look like it and if they are they can be trimmed with severity without damage. I would save the large ones at garage corners, but trim to dome shape, not as ball. I would also preserve the small tree off of the left house corner, but grow it large, which is a product of not trimming the upper canopy to much, and over time, removing bottom branches. The rest I would make a plan to replace. below windows could be low shrubs (much lower than yew), or perennials/tall groundcover, that sort of thing. I might add a groundcover island with a small tree where the walk intersects with drive. Though we can't see behind the camera the lawn has a large, open feel ... possibly an exposed feel. If so, consider street trees a few feet (10-15) off of the road edge.

^^^That is beautiful but do you have the budget? The roof would be expensive. You do need to remove the 3 shrubs and re landscape the front. You need a light in the front entry way, and a pretty welcome mat (go big!). What is that black bench table thing? I would paint it a bright color (use one from the welcome mat) and don’t put flowers on it. It’s useful for setting something on it if your hands are full and you need to open the door. What is your budget? Also, the front yard and driveway are graded to let rainwater run away from the house into the street, so be aware of that if you do any major changes.