A raised bed makes the garden look like something that belongs there. At a basic level, a raised garden looks neat, especially if you are starting out. It gives your eyes a clear separation between weeds/lawn and veg bed. Placing cardboard around the outside of the box extending one foot outward and topped with generous amounts of wood chips works to keep weeds at bay... otherwise they'll be growing wild alongside and into the raised garden, greener and happier than most. I have used relatively thin wood of cedar, and they last 2-3 years easily. A raised bed of 8 inches needs some reinforcements to stay upright. If you "Google Image" "diy raised garden beds" you'll quickly get a good idea of how you can do this with either a drill/wood screws or nails and a hammer. You do not need to fill a new garden bed to the top with top soil and compost. You could fill it a quarter or halfway the first year, and just keep building it up over the years. If you do decide to buy compost, you may want to check out the compost first hand before you order it, see how broken down it is, and what their practices include (organic, etc). If you are thinking about starting a compost pile for the first time, you can just pile up leaves without having to think about it. Your grass seeds will definitely germinate in the future, and you can save yourself some hassle and not put grass clipping in your compost. A compost pile consisting partly of kitchen plant scraps is more likely to attract animals than a pile of leaves. You may want to ask your neighbor what kind of chemical products they've used in their garden before coveting their bags of yard waste for your compost pile. For a compost container I recommend the Geobin compost system... Some state governments (MD) give them out for free in certain states, otherwise they are cheap and flexible (resizable). I have a few of these and they work great.

Excellent to hear because that is exactly what we already decided to buy. We're gonna buy enough to last a couple of seasons and probably use it all summer. Hopefully it will help us with the bugs but we are especially hoping it can give our plants just a little protection because it can be so hot here in July and August. Tomato plants and some others often appear Sun damaged but maybe not this year! BTW, I've never germinated seeds before and am having surprisingly good luck so far. "Asparagus Beans" are amazing! I just put them in last Monday late just before bedtime and they are easily 4 times the size of any other sprout with about 3 inches of roots out the bottom of the seed tray. I'm gonna try transplanting them into cups later tonight or tomorrow. They want to live!!! :)

"Plus, I wouldn't mind seeing some blooms out my window." The bloom period is fairly short- what about all the other months of the year? Hydrangeas would not be my choice as a front yard focal point for that reason alone- I want the front of my home to be attractive 12 months a year, not just one. To that end I'd really use some conifers and broadleaved evergreens to do the main work and use several seasonal interest things to provide the punch. In a smaller yard I'd use dwarf conifers and evergreens and likely use a lot of pots for my seasonal color- pots that can easily be switched out as their period of interest wanes and another pot is starting up. I am 6b and the front of my home also faces east. The majority of my filler plants are dwarf conifers and boxwood. A Japanese Maple as a focal point and lots of ferns and hostas to fill space. Then in pools on either side of the entry I have colorful seasonal perennials and pots of annuals. I find this approach works well- there is always something interesting going on. I truly think what you need to do is measure your space and get it down on graph paper. Mark your sun/shade and how the light moves. Then you can see what size plants you have room for and can start looking for what you like. I suggest that you spend some time in your nearest botanical garden to see what the possibilities are for your area. You have several near you- GO. Wear your walking shoes and take photos. Driving parks and high end neighborhoods is also helpful- if you see something you like snap a photo and the ID the plants and duplicate that look. Or show us a photo of the front of the home. You are designing here and now is the time to make your mistakes- not after putting something in the ground, growing it for a year only to find out conditions don't suit it. You have a blank slate so take that to the Landscape Design forum and ask for help. I think hydrangeas are a mistake- they're just not that interesting when not in bloom. They can be part of a group but not a main focus other than their blooming period. I have lots of hydrangeas- paniculatas, arborescens, serratas- I ditched my macrophyllas due to frustration at lack of blooms caused by my unwillingness to do winter protection. None of those I have would suit the front of a home as a featured plant to build a design around. Spend more time choosing and planning. Summer's a bad time to plant anyway, so you're looking at fall planting at the earliest, so you have time to research and get it right.

You will be more likely to get feedback if you put the photos directly in the thread and give us some info on the amount of sun each area gets and at what time of day such as all afternoon or midday only for 4 hours. Also, can you give us a general part of the country such nearest big city? Zone 6 in NM is pretty different from z 6 in Illinois or in MA. Good ideas with moving mulch from tree trunks, getting rid of the landscape fabric, and avoiding invasives and aggressively spreading plants!