Tree decisions are really best done from a "felt" perspective on the site, not from a picture taken from outside (and looked at by people who have never been there). So with respect to removal, only do it now if you really want to, not because someone on the internet has said so, even if it is me :-) And I think you still haven't told us what kind of tree it is? It's still possible that it is something really wonderful with deep roots, and if the shade is in exactly the right place, ignoring me IS an option! For new tree placement, start with thinking about where and what time of day you want shade (I don't think you've told us yet which way the house faces). And then, from looking out the windows, which views do you want to block/enjoy? And then, what do you want arriving guests or the pizza delivery guy to be able to see? Imagine the canopy starting at about 8' high. Have once person stand inside and look out while the other goes outside holding something - an upside-down rake or an umbrella - to help imagine what it would look like from inside to have a tree in certain spots. Compare this to the existing tree. Looking out from the house, or from your side door, if you could wave a magic wand, where would you move its canopy to... right, the left, or lower? Sometimes we have certain ideas in our heads that we have to work through or see before we can let go of them, and I detect you have a certain adherence to plantings lining the walkway! The sidewalk does make a handy edge, and it is nice to have growing things to enjoy as you walk to the front door (although you more often use the other door, you say). And it gives you a place to start - it can be scary to let go of the edge and plunge a shovel somewhere in the middle of the yard. The downside of these edge plantings is that they are constraining. Hard to have a fridge delivered, or to bring Aunt Mabel in for Christmas dinner with her walker, or along the driveway, hard to open a car door and step out. I am showing below a doodled idea that expands the sidewalk a bit, but whether you plant along a sidewalk or driveway that is narrow or wide, going tall along it - with trees - is not a good idea. Constraining your feet with low plants is one thing, constraining your shoulders or head is another. Near my parents' place, some idiot planted a weeping birch right by the public sidewalk. Someone shorter than me prunes the canopy to a height that is comfortable for them :-) On a rainy night, this is... annoying! Karin L PS Bearing in mind that I am neither artist nor professional designer, here is one idea sketched onto your plan view. If you print out a few more copies of the blank that you posted, you can doodle your way to a design that suits you. This expands a bit on your sidewalk slab, and then plants adjacent to it, in a curve that mirrors the curved bed of shrubs you might put at the corner. You can place new trees into the shrubbery bed or in the central grass area however it best suits you. Whether you extend the beds along the straight parts or just have the curved parts depends on just how much planting area you want. On the outside of your semicircular shrub bed, something like carpet junipers might be the best thing - that way people won't walk over it but it will be both low and attractive.

I can't tell from the photo if that's a small overhang above the garage doors or a trellis? Whichever, you could play off of it to extend it out to the south to create a modern arbor that marks the entry to your home. You could use modern pots with plants to further accentuate the arbor. If your sidewalk (paved path) is concrete, you could stain it to dress it up. You could put low voltage lights (with the same lines as your roof shape) along the sidewalk and an overhead light hanging in the arbor. For a modern garden along the sidewalk, use gravel mulched beds and appropriate plant material. A water feature would be nice along there. Perhaps a modern angular wall fountain between those two side windows for some interest. I would give the sidewalk a sense of enclosure with higher plantings mixed along the south side (think Japanese garden). I can envision all this in my head, but I don't know if I can explain it in text very well. I don't see this as a problem, but as a great opportunity. As for the 2nd sidewalk to the kitchen, there are some very low-key signs you can use that say "private". For the plantings you have now, they all seem to be very low. I don't know your zone, but if it were here, a Japanese Maple, flowering deciduous trees and some evergreen accent trees with a pyramid shape (strategically placed) would help "lift" the landscape. Would you consider a darker shade of paint for your home? It is so close to the same color as the roof. Hope this helps.

First take a breath. Every job looks overwhelming if you look at it all together. Stop making it a "job" and make it fun. Second, take a break. Take a cup of coffee, a chair and a notebook and go sit at the edge of the property you intend to renovate. Sit and listen to the birds, look at the parts of the property you like and then look at other parts. What do you want to keep, what do you want to change. Determine what you want seen from a distance- you probably want larger plants there. What will be seen close up- that is where you want smaller plants. I am just beginning and did a lot of my planning this past summer by just sitting in different parts of the yard and looking around and visualizing. Make notes on your thoughts and plans. Now that you are visulizing, it is time to think of problems. You would like a red house but it isn't practical right now- so how about red flowers, shrubs and furniture to give you that red you are craving? Deer are a problem- check into plants that deer don't like (yes there are some.) What style are you wanting- cottage style is the type you seem to be describing and would look good with the home style. Country look, look around for old tools that you can incorporate in the garden. In the country garden, simple and practical is better. Or do a combination of the two. The concrete in the yard- do you like it? If yes, then leave it. If no then think of masking it- add stone around it, or plant around it to screen it with the plants. Maybe utilize it in a different way- like making it a rock garden or using it to showcase special artwork or plants. How about putting a smaller "wishing well" in the center, planting flowers around it, then planting more flowers around the concret wall for a terraced look? Do fieldtrips. Make trips to several local nurseries just to walk through. What plants do you like? Where do you see them on your property? Check out the plants needs and make sure they will have their needs met in the area you are visualizing. As you go places, look at other homes and if you see something you like, make a note. Then think how you can work it into your own plan. On a budget, you (or at least I can't) buy every plant I like. So on your trips to the nurseries- check out the seed racks. Check out the garden junk forum for things you can make and add to your property with less expense. Use what you find on the property- properties like that often have old tools, bottles and things either left or found buried. Start small. Now that you are visulizing what you want, divide your property into areas, and work on one or two areas at a time. For instance, while you are working on the shed, you may want to start planting around the house. When those are done, pick out two more areas to do. As you are working on areas you will find yourself thinking about the other areas and coming up with even more ideas. Be flexible. Some ideas may not work or some plants just won't do well in certain areas. So you find a similiar plant or work on a different idea. As you are working and coming up with new ideas anyway, you will find that your plans change. And keep in mind, a garden is an ongoing process, not a stationary thing. If you have the financial resources to get a landscape designer to do all the work for you, that is great. You get quicker results and a more professional look. But if you don't have the resources for professionals there is the consolation that what you get is what you yourself have visualized. Much more personal and satisfying.

It would definitely be trouble to have two groundcovers (they usually spread sideways ... ivy does for sure) abutting one another in the same bed. How would you keep them apart? (That looks like English ivy in the picture. Algerian ivy is similar, but is a more robust, more drought resistant plant as I understand it. @longbranchstitch ... " I’m curious about the ivy comment. We live in the PNW where we battle ivy all the time ... I personally would never set out to plant it." You can't identify any use that it would serve ... covering and smoothing over rough ground? ... erosion control? ...growing where no other plants will? ....low cost per square foot of cover? ...evergreen for all-season use? Those are some of the reasons a person might want it. If none of those reasons work for you, why don't you get a serious program going that includes IVY KILLER, and get rid of it? If it's somewhat useful and you don't want to get rid of it all, why don't you consider learning to manage it? For example you complain that it grows up trees. It takes literally one minute per year to severe all the ivy growing up a single tree trunk. If you have 180 trees, that's three hours per year to solve that problem! How much time would it take to mow a lawn on which 180 trees would fit? ... maybe 50 times that amount of time and it would require an expensive machine! So the trade-off for ivy seems possibly favorable on that count. Anyway, you can evaluate whether it could be useful to you, or not, and then either get rid of it or get it under control.