pyxiwulf, I have a front yard potager, although larger than yours, it was also over the site of an old maple. The maple roots continued to grow after a tornado split it in to and it was ground out by the stump. So we decided with that, and the clay soil we were putting in raised beds. Worked like a charm. We mulched heavily over the non-planted areas as walkways and that has eventually killed out the root system so it no longer invades the beds. I personally didn't worry about exact symmetry but balance of the eye mixed with maximizing growing space. Mine is still not maximum (I learned I can live with less space between each bed, and am not married to the idea of having square or rectangular beds....) I guess what I am saying is try and see what works this year, and if you don't like something it's so easy to change. I absolutely agree with having something look purposeful and organized especially in the front yard. It will help people to accept the idea that a front yard garden with vegetables can be as beautiful as it is functional!

The fact of space being so tight necessitates the use of plants that comply with the plan. Left of the garage is fairly large shrub. Start turning this into a small tree form so that its bulky part, the canopy, will eventually be over your head where it can serve like a protective umbrella. Near the walk would only be a few upright trunks that do not occupy much ground space. To train it into a tree, make its overall shape similar to a sugar cone, where its tip has been embedded into the earth at the exact place the shrub grows. Trunks and foliage come up through/within the main part of the cone but nothing sticks outside of that shape. After it has reached 8' or more feet tall, you can let branches and foliage spill outside of the shape as if they were a giant blob of ice cream overflowing the the cone. Over time, starting at the bottom of the plant, remove branches, twigs and foliage so that only the bare trunks remain. You can do this to 50% of the plant's total height. (At any time of year, but early spring is the optimum time. Near the end of the growing season is the least optimum time. Plant some low growing annuals, perennials, or groundcover below the tree. (Pick one, not use all three.) See if you could do the same thing at the right side of garage door.' See if you could replace the uppermost garage door panel with one that has a bank of windows in it. Along the narrow path to the front door, I'd ditch the hedge and replace it with low growing annuals, perennials, or groundcover. Since it is long, you wouldn't necessarily need to keep it all one thing for the whole length, though you could if desired. It could be a strip of multicolored impatiens, or a strip of variegated liriope, It it could have color at the beginning and end while the middle run is groundcover. For the blank wall, consider some flat, outdoor art decor. A flag stretched in a frame would work. But there's not room for plants or anything else to stick out into the path.

I would paint everything white except the entry door. Choose any color you like for that. I kind of like black, blue or a burgundy but yellow or lime green also looks nice on an entry. You want to draw the attention to it. The color it is now is kinda strange

You have a lovely, charming home, and I would keep it that way. Another vote here for working on the landscaping. Those bushes look so old and tired, and make the porch look sad. I would bet there used to be a wrought iron railing around the porch, too bad someone removed it.