Well Im not sure what "style" but this is kinda what I have had in mind as far as style (maybe but Id like your ideas)! The little ugly shack looks like a mini mansion on the inside (all the extras, hardwood floors, custom cabinets etc.) so Im looking for maybe something sophisticated, rich but with natural/neutral , bare minimal of plants (because of the snakes). The house will be painted a natural lovely rich greenish/tan to blend in with the landscape. I have a huge stack of taxes flat rook stones so I thought Id make a walkway with them? I found a very cute evergreen type small shrub (#2 picture) I just love it! So I wanted to use those on each side. I think I liked the big rocks (mirror image on each side of the walkway in the front). I wanted to use stone work for the rest of the foundation because the rocks are free & it really makes the place look nicer. Can anyone tell me if they make a a-symmetrical conifer tree that doesn't get to large (maybe 12 ft or smaller)? Iv been to a bunch of plant stores & Im having trouble finding interesting small trees. Iv got several large japans maples in pots but everyone uses them now so Im not sure if thats what I want. I really like the look of small pines more so then maples & I think the maples will look out of place? Id set some of them around in pots & see if I can find a spot for 1 or 2 of them. Also any cool looking unique small trees I could put in pots on either side of the front steps? It wouldn't have to live in a pot I could plant it next to the concrete. Im not looking for comen plants. Id like it to be interesting & rich looking (this poor shack needs a BID face lift so I need to spend some on the exterior). We live way out in the woods so low maintenance is a must & Im not big on flowers at all. The Clemet's in the front adds a little (I think but what do I know) it really looks nice when the yellow rose type tiny flowers bloom. There's also another vine in that mass of greenery. Its a white flowering fine, Im sorry but I dont know the names of either? The circle drive way is where Im standing in the 1st picture (Im taking the picture). So the walkway goes to it & then in picture #3 the patch leads up the hill to the chickens coop & the orchard. I visit both areas all day long as you can see from the dirt patch but Im hoping to make a pretty tx. flat rock path soon. Funny thing is the chickens have there 8x8 house completely done, insulated, painted inside & out with an arbor on the side of the house with a nice grape vine on it. Our house isnt done & the guest house looks like this! So if you want to see what color Ill be paining house & all the buildings, I can go out & take pictures of the hens house. LOL I really like the wide walkway in the picture & I like the idea of the bushes on the left hand side. Also I really like the idea of not having steps on the porch but its used allot but I need to enclose it soon to keep the snakes & the (too friendly) yard bantams off.

I have been asked so many times over the years, "What is the BEST _____?" Fill in the blank with "thing-to-build?", "time-to-cut?", and so on. I would like to dispel the notion that the "BEST" matters much. The answer is often that there are several, or many, bests and usually quite a bit of leeway. There is no need to obsess about absolute perfection. Better to look for what works well. It would be as if someone said "What is the best clothing to wear?" and intended to wear only that for the rest of their life. So many different plants a yard can "wear" and many would look good. Also, with the walk material, there are choices in both brick, pavers and concrete that would work well. Personally, with your house, I would keep it traditional -- like red brick or pavers in the standard brick shape -- and avoid styles that look modern or fakishly rustic. Get samples large enough to create something that can be seen from a distance, and appraise it. Since I had to invent the foreground it's understandable that the walk might not work as shown. It's just to give ideas. One would adjust as reality demands. A note about trellises: If placed in front of a wall, one would provide enough separation so that there was space between the wall and the plant. That way, it's never a problem with the siding. Also, I've never seen a ready made trellis that was worth a flip. It's something that must be custom made, though it's generally not a difficult proposition for someone with modest carpentry talent. The large dome-shaped shrub near the wall could be many thing. I'm not sure if it grows in your zone, but while I drew it, the plant that came to mind was Viburnum carlesii ... producer of one of the most delicious scents known.

adding photo here...

As the bed is quite tight to the house, shrubs will need to hang over the front of the wall in order to have room enough to develop a proper size. Hanging over will look fine, though. At the left corner, a groundcover or low trailing shrub could look nice. Below the windows the shrubs should be something easy to keep at 3' ht. The heavenly bamboo is not going to look nice below the window. It would be best if you find another location for it where it could grow to natural size. It would be better to have dome shaped shrubs below the windows. Seasonal color could go at either side of the stoop and whatever you have growing at the right side now could be used to fill in the leftover spaces.