I think what you have is probably the most maintenance-free short of paving it with solid concrete. Pavers too will need maintenance, and rocks are generally a nightmare. I think it looks wonderful, but I understand it may not be your taste.

For the cost of removal and a new (probably short-lived) solution, it would likely be cheaper to hire someone to pull the weeds for many years to come. It can be done -- just need to wear gauntlets as the junipers are prickly.

Good luck!

The juniper looks nice and doesn't take the focus off the house. As suggested, hire a neighbor kid to weed in the summer and focus your time/energy on continuing with other landscaping projects to add curb appeal and draw the eye to your front door.

Thank you mimimony and decoenthusiaste! I don't mind weeding but it is almost impossible to do a good job because I cannot get the weeds out by the roots, there must be a better way, I like my areas looking very tidy. Also, although some think that it looks nice I think that it is "out dated", not wanting to offend anyone with juniper, personal taste, so I am trying to find a more attractive alternative. Thank you both again for your input, really appreciated!

Sorry, that made me laugh! That is the first time I've heard that juniper is outdated (which it most certainly is not). I don't have any in my current landscape, and would not be offended if I did :) I understand if you don't personally care for it, however. You are actually very lucky to have an established landscape but if you don't like it, you don't like it.

I'd hire a landscaper to create a landscaping plan in line with your interests.

Perhaps outdated was the wrong choice of words more so that it "dates" the house....property..... Thank you again for the input :)

You need to get some serious landscaping help if this is not your taste IMOthis is the best choice for that steep slope and honestly if it is healty the weeds should be minimal. You could terrace the slope and plant many different things but no matter what you plant weeds will grow so whay not do a stepped reatining wall you will lose some grass area .These are some ideas.

Thank you very much Patricia! As it seems to be the overall vote to work WITH the juniper perhaps I will redirect my efforts to finding out how to care for it. Some weeding is no issue for me, but the juniper is SO VERY THICK and almost grown over in layers that it is almost impossible for me to get my hand through to even hit ground. This is my first spring in my new home so I am learning a ton about the property. Is it possible and safe to trim back blue rug juniper?

@Jinx thank you very, very much! It certainly is in my budget, I just was not sure of options. OK I am changing direction and sticking with my motivation to REPLACE the juniper. This won't happen until next spring, too many other projects going on, so I will have time to plan.

The photos show quite an array of hardscaping materials: the wood edging the juniper bed along the driveway, white stucco-looking retaining walls, concrete steps, a paver walkway, maybe a different color paver edging? That's a lot going on. If you decide on a retaining wall instead of the junipers, it might be worth asking a landscape designer to help unify things a bit.

@petula67 AGREE!!! Less than a year in my new home, lots going on. I am working towards a more "cottage" feel. It's about an acre and a large portion of the back yard is Cape Cod white picket fence. Again, more juniper........no idea what I will do in the mulched areas in the back. So, I am trying to tie things together more as well. I did get river rock around the house last month, three different sizes and a GREAT step towards getting things more unified.

I would strongly recommend a landscape architect and a landscape plan. You may not accomplish it in a year, but a good landscaping firm can provide you with a cohesive plan that can be accomplished in stages.

@mimimomy Thank you, sounds like exactly what I need.