Hi, I'm hoping to get some good ideas for a project I've had in mind for a long time. We'd like to soften and improve the look of the front, especially the section on the right as you look at the pictures, which is the entrance we use. The driveway you see is still used occasionally, although the car is usually parked in a detached garage further off on the right (not in the picture), and so we do want to keep it, but it could be reduced to something just long enough to be a temporary parking space for loading and unloading in winter, etc. The distance from the front deck to the street is about 26 ft. and since you need about 20 feet for the car, that leaves about 6 ft. for plantings (or something). Picture no. 2 includes a garden area on that side near the street. I'd like to keep that garden but wouldn't mind altering its shape if necessary. The four bushes on each side of the door on what we call the main house (picture no. 3) have seen better days and need to be replaced, but I'd like to keep the lilacs and the quince, which is the next-to-last one on the left that you can see in that pic. Pic no. 4 shows the lilacs that grow on two sides of a screened-in porch. As you can see, it's pretty informal and that's how we live too. I hope this is enough information to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. If anyone has ideas I'd love to hear them! Pics are at this link: http://s1002.photobucket.com/albums/af148/BarbaraNH/

A couple of notes: - You don’t actually want to plant as densely or as close to the walk as in Doug’s sketch or in three years you will need to do a lot of pruning and in 5 or 8 you will be ripping out plants and starting all over again with many of them. Add large pots or a birdbath or art or annuals while you wait for some of your woody plants to put on size. - Whatever you plant needs to be sized appropriately for it ultimate growth. Plant tags often give plant sizes at an unrealistic 5 years, so be sure to look up on a reputable website such as the Missouri Botanic Garden’s Plantfinder to find the actual expected size. - You have a big overhang that creates a rain shadow that will always be dry without irrigation. Be sure to plan on irrigation for anything within that rain shadow. Regardless, don’t plant anything so close that it will grow to within a foot or so of the house. - Wider steps are great to make a welcoming entry. - Notice in both sketches that the plants in front of the windows are lower with taller plants framing it or placed further down the slope to not block the windows. - Plan to have some of your plants evergreen for a winter presence and some with either colored foliage or flowers for interest. - Sod or hydro seed the lawn at the appropriate time of year for your area which may be now.

Pretty house! I’d go ahead and remove the shrubs so you can get a clear picture of the space. I think slighty curving the bed down a bit to meet the curve in the sidewalk would look nice, and more cohesive with the other bed. Once you’ve got it cleared, edging set up, etc, you’ll get a much better idea of what you’re working with. You could use dwarf shrubs, such as dwarf Yaupon Holly, smaller grasses, perennials. Maybe add a pretty bird bath to see out the window. :) You could also take a good picture of the bed to a reputable local nursery for ideas in your area, as well as check around the neighborhood.

^^^That is beautiful but do you have the budget? The roof would be expensive. You do need to remove the 3 shrubs and re landscape the front. You need a light in the front entry way, and a pretty welcome mat (go big!). What is that black bench table thing? I would paint it a bright color (use one from the welcome mat) and don’t put flowers on it. It’s useful for setting something on it if your hands are full and you need to open the door. What is your budget? Also, the front yard and driveway are graded to let rainwater run away from the house into the street, so be aware of that if you do any major changes.