We have no idea what zone you're in or where you're located, but I would remove the little hedge near the driveway and the lawn as well, replacing it with a low groundcover, perhaps one that blooms. In my zone I would use Geranium 'Biokovo' or G. 'Karmina'. Virtually no maintenance.

It will look much better oncethe construction is over.

Take out the planting around tree and hedge along driveway . Less clutter and work on getting the prettiest lawn you can.

Not that you asked, but I don’t think that’s a cherry. If you are interested in an id post close ups of leaves, bark and flowers, if you can. So far I’d say it was a crab apple.

If the tree is city/HOA mandated, there are undoubtedly other landscaping codes as well. We can't make useful suggestions without knowing that information.

More info for sure but I would begin by just stripping everything out and then post a pic. We need to know where you are , how much gardening experience you have , how much work you want to put in?

Run a flowering vine up the pole. Plant red and whie flowers around the hydrant.

Floral_uk: it’s a cherry blossom tree because we had this tree for past 10years but it has some kind of diseases and leaves are all curls up and looks weird and also doesn’t flower a lot like other healthy trees.

Tree is mandated by the city code so i can’t get rid of it and also i don’t want to.

I will remove the concrete edge all around the tree and along the driveway. Also planning to remove all the grass, add more soil and new grass. I will be hiring a landscaper for all the work but i need to have a plan before getting an estimate

Hi Tee! 
Good job getting started with this. You need time to think. I'm sorry your favorite tree is sick. Sometimes the problem is curable with some tender living care. It's worth trying since you love it.

Did you buy it so you know what it is? Doesn't really matter, because they are all in the same family. I read here there are sometimes trees called "cherry plum trees"...how confusing!

https://www.gardendesign.com/trees/purple-leaf-plum.html

Now that I look into this purple leaf plum I think it is what Garden Girl and Floral were talking about. My apologizes :) I looked into the by laws and its a bit of a process to replace the tree and I have to put deposit in and get inspections after planting it and second inspection after 1st year (such a pain). I will try to call the city to find out more other alternatives

Beside the tree what else can I do to my lawn, what other plants, flowers, shrubs I can plant to make it look pretty.

Also backyard is a disaster, please do share some ideas :)

As the person in the family who does all the mowing and leaf blowing, I like to make beds that reduce that bit of toil.

I also like to sit on my porch and wave to neighbors. In winter, I like to sit indoors and look out windows. So I wouldn't want to see the fire hydrant, and I would want to see pretty things in winter, so I like evergreens as a backbone to the bed.

I would establish a bed extending from the front left corner of your house to the pole, in a smooth arc, including the tree. Leave a gap after the first bush from the house that you mark with stepping stones or somehow make clear is a path to the side of the house for access.

Keep you planting choice in proportion to your yard size. Choose natives whenever you can to stack the survive and thrive odds in your favor. Take great care to leave space around your tree and not injure it's roots as much as is practical. Don't smother the roots with a huge pile of mulch. 

With your cream stone and pure tree you can easily include either blueish cast or deep green evergreens. Don't mix it up too much though, or your yard will end up looking like a Home Depot parking lot.

Laceyveil is right that your plant choice will depend on the zone you are in. I would not depend on a landscaper to choose the plants, as they tend to clutter things up and not choose natives. Sometimes it looks like they tried to get rid of everything they couldn't sell.

Once again, I will advise you to look around and photograph plants you love the look of. Then find out what they are and what their needs are. Find out if they are native. Find out how big they will grow. There are dwarf versions of many plants, especially trees.

Tell us if deer are a problem. They dictate my choices at home. You don't have any shade in your front yard, unless it is facing north. Can you tell us that? What direction is the front of your house? Is your home in a dry area or a very cold area? I understand if you don't want to say what city, for privacy. Do you know what planting zone you are in? You can usually look that up on line. Does a snowplow put a pile of snow in your front yard sometimes? That can damage many plants, but some don't mind. Will you need to install long term irrigation, or will short term suffice, like a soaker hose? Where is your closest garden hose attachment?

​​The little evergreens against your foundation look like they could use some love but they seem appropriate. It's nice to have evergreens near an entrance to draw attention to it all year long, especially in winter. So, I'm saying you could leave them. But give them some love.

I agree with craljh that the planting along the driveway isn't helping. If you like the plants, find out the best time to transplant them to another location in your yard.  I don't agree you need to remove the plants around the tree. Digging around a sick tree too much can tip it over the edge and kill it. Those plants could be helping to keep the roots cool in summer. There are three good-sized shrubs by the driveway, and there are four little ones edging the walk. Are they evergreens? Do you know what they are and how big they get?

​​Goodness! You have snow you lucky lady! I miss snow… :-(

Anyway, I was also delighted to see the plum tree is so beautifully placed to be viewed from your living room window! No wonder you love it! Do try to save it. Though, one site I read said they are not long-lived, so get prepared to replace it in when it is 20 years old, perhaps with another small flowering tree, perhaps a native this time. You have time to study up. When was it planted, or when was the house built? 

And I see the fire hydrant won't be hard to hide. One rounded evergreen shrub about 4ft high should do it. But it's nice to plant in 3s or 5s. If those shubs by the drive are evergreens and if they will grow big enough, maybe they can be transplanted. But if they are too old, they might not survive, so you may want to plant new ones in your new bed to hide the fire hydrant. Mind you don't block access to the hydrant, just block the view from your windows and the front porch.

I noticed some evergreen shrubs in a recent photo that weren't in other photos. Would you mind posting a current picture or two of your house? I also didn't see the big light pole. Was it removed or just not in the frame?

And it looks like the little evergreens at the foundation are gone, so you will want to plant at least one in the corner created between you house front and the steps.

"I would not depend on a landscaper to choose the plants, as they tend to clutter things up and not choose natives."

This is a erroneous assumption and a very broad generalization!! Many landscapers focus on native plants (although there is no clear evidence that natives are superior to non-native species). And if they are following your plan, there is no reason to assume they would "clutter things up". Unless your plan itself is cluttered :-) Landscapers are not necessarily designers - although some have considerable skill in this regard - so hiring a crew and giving them full rein without a defined plan may be a toss up afa results are concerned.

If you feel unable to develop a landscape plan yourself, the obvious choice is to hire a landscape designer. That way you will know - and can communicate properly with any landscaper assistance - exactly what is intended and where it should be planted.

I would strongly urge you to look for a qualified designer local to your area. It is a very modest financial investment (typically a few hundred bucks) but will get you far more satisfactory results than relying on some random online advice from those that have little to no design training.

The OP mentioned the backyard but I don't see those photos.

Rather than getting random suggestions on here I think it would be worth your while to hire a landscape designer to come up with a plan for both your front & rear yards. Someone who knows your climate, orientation ,soil. etc.

Gardengal 48, apologies for such a sweeping statement! You are right that there are many good professionals out there. I am speaking from observations in a very large city where, in every profession like this, many really bad professionals can survive. I have seen many examples of cluttered front yards resulting from bad professionals. I was offered a landscape design from a really good nursery nearby, "free" if I purchased X  dollars of plants, and was so disappointed because of all the clutter. I'm sure that if I shopped around and was willing to pay for a good designer who worked with me and was knowledgeable about plants, I could have got a good design. By the way, you said you had a good experience, so what does it cost and for how large an area?

Tee, when it warms up a little, can you also add photos of your back yard? The view from your window was helpful regarding the plum tree, so if there are any other important window views from inside, this snow might be just what is needed to give a good photo from inside. It certy worked for the living room photo

Thanks guys :)

The house is only 12 years old and I think that's when this tree was planted. I will leave the tree alone for now and focus on rest of the lawn.

KL: All these shrubs are "Boxwood" evergreen. Some couldn't grow as tall as the rest (no idea even though I planted all at the same height) In the above image it was small and now its lot taller since the house had been under construction we couldn't take care of it. At the moment we had to take it all out to do the exterior construction. I am debating to plant these in the backyard and put different evergreens maybe with the flowers or just plant these back. I agree they definitely need major trimming

I don't have access to the back from the left side our access is from the right side of the house. So I am planning on putting some stepping stones on the right side of the house for our tenants.

I wasn't sure what zones I was in so I had to look it up and it says 8b. Our house faces east we only get good light from morning to early afternoon and rest of the day it's all shade.

Old Pic:

@cecily 7A I thought i posted it but clearly not. Thanks for pointing it out I have updated my original post :)

Tee, am I confused, or is your backyard paved over and you are gardening in pots?

Previous owner had it all paved. we will be replacing it all with grass, getting new fence and adding a deck and a small patio.

Thanks for explaining.

For your backyard, how will you use it, and what are the general dimensions? Width of house and general distance from house to fence?  Nothing specific.... I was wondering also what your view is out the 2nd floor windows, nice view of an ocean, park, or lake? Or neighbors and cars. As you know from your front yard tree, you can borrow space visually by having a nice tree to look at from indoors. A tree that fits your yard could be nicer to look at than your current view, depending on the current view. Proportionally sized beds around the fence offer opportunity to facilitate grass trimming and provide ornamental plants, bulbs, tall grasses, flowers, etc. Widen the bed to reach out to your tree if you have one, and you save more work. That can create a nook for a little bench in the bed and you have a hint of an outdoor living room. Keep a path to the garbage cans clear so you can mow right over it, perhaps permeable concrete so water doesn't puddle and freeze, perhaps heated? And if you like, you can put a bird feeder or birdbath in the backyard too. Birds are fun to see from indoors.

Also, for a backyard, consider options to regular has-to-be-mowed lawn grass. I love sheep fescue, a small bunchgrass, meaning it makes little mounds instead of a smooth carpet. It is a deep elegant green and has very fine blades. The inflorescence is very delicate. It's easy enough to walk over. I first grew it in an orchard setting and fell in love with it. Just an option if you don't want to mow back there.

Here is a website with pictures of sheep fescue: https://www.outsidepride.com/seed/grass-seed/fescue-grass-seed/sheeps-fescue-grass-seed.html

Again, I permeable concrete path would look better than stepping stones. You can see, if you don't mow, you don't need beds up to the fence. Since it's your backyard and fenced so nobody can see it, you won't be plagued by peoe not understanding that the natural look is intentional. It would help with maintenance. But if it's not for you, the other post with beds will also help with maintenance.

KL: I will have a small door right next to the electric pole for us to go out to throw garbages.

Goodness! Look at you with a drawing! Awesome! So, with those stairs to the basement, you don't want a deciduous tree dropping leaves down there, I'm guessing....
But with your deck...awesome...maybe you want a privacy tree? Is there room for a pyramidal evergreen? Or would it crowd out the space eventually? Or do you want space to do something there?

I just pretend to be an artist hahahaha Even though I like tree idea but there isn't much space. I will have deck cover for shade though. I am thinking of adding some bamboo trees along the fence maybe. I was reading up on bamboo tree they don't take too much space but I would keep it contained so they don't spread out everywhere.

Can you ask some local experts to suggest a specimen evergreen tree that will be happy and fit right behind your deck? It will be nice to look at from your family room and bedroom and offer a little sense of privacy on the deck. Get the biggest (oldest) you can afford, THEN have the new fence put in. That way the nursery can use heavy equipment to plant it.

Oh, sorry, were typing at the same time.... Bamboo is beautiful in a breeze. Good option! Here it stays green through winter...how about where you are?

I have seen couple of houses in my area with bamboo and they are always green... I will definitely ask landscapers but so far I am not having a good luck with them. Most of them are pushing me to just put paver in my whole backyard (guess thats where the money is for them)

Goodness, I agree with you. All you need is a path to the garbage cans. How about an arborist instead? But that's only if you're thinking about a tree. I can envision a triangle of bamboo being awesome. I've not grown it. I will do some looking on maintenance etc. Ask your locals who have it what they think about living with it.

Definitely look into this for your patio cover ..best of all worlds!
https://www.patiocover.us/

Sources of bamboo:
https://bambubatu.com/where-to-find-bamboo-in-canada/
Bamboo varieties:
https://bambubatu.com/growing-bamboo-in-canada/

Growing bamboo:
https://vancouversun.com/homes/gardening/brian-minter-expert-tips-to-grow-bamboo
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/yes-canadians-can-grow-bamboo/article25577167/
Sound like you've made the perfect choice in a clumping bamboo.