Hi Lynne, I am very new to gardening. I lived in Massachusetts so everything pretty much had its season. Not that I was very knowledgeable there but this is more challenging, I think. We think the tall, short, tall thing might look nice from the street, as well as the porch. The porch is one and one-half steps up from the sidewalk since th city re-did the sidewalk. Friday they planted sod in the rectangle planting space. They were maybe concerned someone would fall into the area. I love all the tropical, no maintenance around here. Anything from palms to flowering plants, it doesn't matter. I might add the whole driveway/side of the property was cemented when we bought the house. We had the city cut a 14" x 15' swath in the cement along the prop3erty of the neighbor's concrete fence. It's southwest. We want to put something to hide the fence and be no maintenance. What about palms there? What ones? Thank you for any suggestions. I really appreciate it. Nancita

Keep in mind that due to the metal roof and the height of the drop, you will want shrubs that will tolerate snow and ice being dumped on them and that if there's too much damage that you can cut to the ground and they will regrow quickly. There is a range of these caning shrubs, including spirea, ninebark/Physocarpus, forsythia, Hydrangea arborescens like Annabelle or Incrediball, and mock orange/Philadelphus. IME most Rhododendrons shed snow reasonably well, and will recover from needed pruning if damage does occur, though more slowly than the first list. Boxwood and Thuja don't recover well from snow and ice damage IME and will remain damaged looking for several seasons. Unless you have gutters that I am not seeing, plant outside of the drip line under the roof edge, since most shrubs don't like the force of a line of falling water hitting in the same spot on a regular basis, so they will grow unevenly. Alternatively, use a combination of trellised vines (that you can trim back as needed) with perennials, including some large (shrub-sized ones) ones like Amsonia hubrichtii or Baptisia. They will die back to the ground and resprout in spring and so won't be damaged by ice and snow rocketing down from the roof. Vines that would work include the native trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens (which retain branches over winter, but can be pruned and recover) and many clematis (hard prune clematis that get cut to the ground in the fall will leave your trellises bare for winter lights). I think that given the range of light levels and height, you might want more than one type of plant but not a hodgepodge of many different types. Since (I am assuming) this is a garden that will be viewed from a distance you want fewer larger masses rather than many different, smaller items. Use a taller shrub that likes more light over towards the left side by the driveway. Be sure to research ultimate size so that it fits without rubbing the building or spilling over onto the walkway or drive. Use ones that are fine with less light on the right side and perhaps in the middle. Though the porch is symmetrical, the house as a whole isn't, so you don't need both sides to look the same, and due to the different heights and growing conditions, I don't think looking the same all the way across is a reasonable goal. All the plants I mentioned will grow in my area, so will be fine as far as hardiness.

The first idea is a new door. sorry, but that arched builder basic door has no business on this style home. you need more of a mcm type of door. Look on craigslist or something similar, people are often trying to unload original doors. Then paint it that same blue tone, but w/a bit more gray Like this one. (and if you gave me a bigger picture to work with, I could photoshop it w/other things) you can barely see, but I gave you modern numbers, a chair, potted plant, some turquoise color pots in the flower bed, and you need to plant something in the bed under the big window, even if it;s just like this here's one w/a walnut color wood door If you planted something tall in the flower bed to the left of the window (towards the left side) it would eat up some of that vertical space. here's the items I photoshopped onto your picture Paint your porch black or a dark charcoal color. I'd even do the trim of you home in that color Kendall Charcoal. looks great w/your brick color

^^^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.