Just make sure the raised beds are curved in contrast to all the straight lines on the house.

Not sure that bold white is the best for your home. Would be nice if you had a canopy over the door.

I don't see any point to raised beds. They are really unnecessary in this context. Just remove the hedges and plant whatever you like.

Pressure washing the porch, steps and walk might be helpful. Is this what you had in mind, more or less?

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Raised bed planters can easily match your house style. That said, the only reason for them is if your soil is too poor to support healthy plants, which is doesn't look true for you. If your planters aren't the full size of your triangle and you have a meadow garden in the triangle, it will look odd.

Most evergreen hedging plants like box or yew, which is what you probably have, can be chopped pretty dramatically. It may take a season or two to look decent again, but you wouldn't need to cable.

I'd consider removing the front two yews (you can transplant them) and replacing with broadleaf evergreens with different bloom times. Maybeba Mt. Laurel aznd a rhodo. But only if it's not southfacing and unshaded.

Some option

I would plant appropriate sized shrubbery under the windows--something that can grow in a natural shape--not heavily shaped and pruned. Then plant perennials in front. No point in leaving a tiny area of lawn at the point of the bed--PITA. You can make that area groundcover--low sedums perhaps.

some ideas:

Thanks all for your good advice (and photo shop skills which I do not possess.)

I agree with the color statement about the white. Am considering whitewashing the brick at some time as the houses on my small street all look distressingly alike, at which time I would change the color of the entrance facade and garage. A canopy is also a good idea. Power washing the steps is on tap for next year.

The reason I was considering raised bed planters is also for a place to garden more efficiently. The neighborhood is very informal; a random front yard herb and small veggie garden (not growing corn, for example) wouldn’t raise eyebrows. Also, my backyard is too shaded, and has dog traffic. Am loving the ornamental plantings I am seeing here, though. Lots of room for all, except the birch tree, TBH. I have plenty of leaves in the back.😜

Last request - I would love to be able to manipulate photos the way I am seeing here. Is there a free/inexpensive app that I can try? I see many of you are professionals and probably using programs that are far beyond me, but would love to be able to do more than draw things on graph paper.

Looks like you could get a not insignificant amount of water off the roof in the area of the current plantings. If so, careful construction of any raised beds so you don’t get water back towards the foundation and locate plants accordingly.

You can do a low edge around the beds, does not need to necessarily be real tall and dirt against foundation . . . if you go that route you need a plastic liner against the brick . . .

I'd just tear the shrubs out and plant something that doesn't have to be pruned to stay appropriately scaled/sided. Many options. Path of least resistance. Edge bed however you like or landscape whole area with plants. I like Doug's inclusion of a pretty flowering small tree at the end, well away from the house.

When installing the replacements, get from reputable nursery which sells stuff with accurate labels as to mature size. Absolutely pay attention to that and plant the shrubs with enough room to grow to their mature size without crowding each other. You can fill in with annuals or even perennials until they mature. Perennials can always be removed. Stay away from day lilies though, they will stick around to haunt you forever . . .

No need for raised beds - avoid the expense and maintenance. Go for native plantings to attract pollinators and butterflies so you do good while increasing your house appeal. Depending on where you live a great small tree is Amelanchier sp (Shadbush, Serviceberry) or the usual native dog wood or red bud (avoid hybrids that do nothing for pollinators). Smaller shrubs for in front of the window include native hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), or even a native Aronia sp. (chokecherry). Take out the lawn and use native perennials or sedge (no mowing - how great is that?).