Hello. I’m new to posting on Houzz. I finally stumbled across this forum. I think I already posted somewhere else…but probably in the wrong area. I DO need landscape design help. My goal is curb appeal. We love in North or Richmomd, central VA, zone 7a. Our front yard is full sun and the fescue is baking. I’m tired of fighting it and would like to create islands on both sides of the path with crepe Myrtle as center tree. Also. I think I need some landscaping in front of the front porch where the grass meets the cement. That area is 15 feet across on both sides. Any suggestions with names of plants would be greatly appreciated. May want to use money grass as border for flower beds/islands. Should I line the sidewalk with crepe myrtles. I have no idea where to begin with this blank slate. I included a before pic and also a pic of the back to get a feel foe the house. We love on lakefront. Please help! Thank you! Chrissy

In looking at the first photo I was wondering how one gains access to the door. I prefer when there is a clear path to the entrance. I also notice in later pictures that shrubs were planted much too close to the house. My suggestion would be to reshape the border to eliminate the bed on the street side of the path. New shrubs should not be planted so close to the house. The remainder of the beds could be filled with low perennials/ground cover. I do not live in your zone so I can't recommend specific plants. Black or navy blue would be nice for the door.

You can get some improvement by removing the underperforming plants and replacing them with plants better suited to the site. Doing that will likely make things look a bit more cohesive and planned, but won't do much to improve the overall appearance of your home. Expanding the planting area will make a big difference if that's what you're hoping for. But I get it . . . I'd love to relandscape my front yard but because it's on a steep slope it would be very expensive and labor intensive, and it's not on the top of my very long wish list. So the planting bed stays small and the plants are mainly evergreen shrubs that are easy to maintain. Priorities, right?

It's very tough to give advice when we don't know the size of your plants. The "3 azaleas planted that will not get very tall": what cultivar, when were they planted? If they've been there a while and that's their mature height, then either you should move them or plants something lower in front of them. Heather, maybe? If you just planted them and they should double in size bringing them up to the bottom of your window in a year or two, then you should plant low annuals, while waiting for the growth. Or moss Phlox at the edge. Plant bulbs. Daffodils are pretty resistant to critters, but tulips come in more colors. Ideally, you want color in at least 3 seasons. Hellebore does well in winter, moss phlox in spring, You can add a mountaint laurel in the shady section, that will bloom in the sprint. Sedum blooms in the fall.