I definitely understand your paint issues. My house is on a hillside, front lawn rolls over with numerous white pines, spruce, maples in the yard. I have a steep hill (small mountain) behind me that provides shade in the mornings until about 11:00; get sun mid-day. To add to the lack of direct sun, I have a covered patio behind my kitchen window requiring artificial lighting in the kitchen 24/7 and a covered porch in the front of the house. Thank goodness I love green! My kitchen is Flowering Herb which is usually described as a neutral/brown/khaki type green. It is a PURE GREEN in my kitchen - love it. I have Baby Turle in a small powder room with a small window that lets in the shade - it is a TRUE darker green. Others have described it as a brownish green. For four years I have struggled with the right neutral beige/tan for my living room. I've quit fighting it - I'm going with a light, light beige that will deliberately look pale green - I think the winner is going to be Rice Grain. Wish me luck that it WILL turn green.

Thanks, Daylily! tlbean, I sometimes have an inkling of an idea, but often don't know what the plants in the drawing are or should be. In selecting plants, much depends on what grows and performs well in a given area. Let's speculate on some possibilities for here. The hedge below the window could be low-growing azaleas, dwarf yaupon holly, or any shrub that looks good and could be kept at a 3' height without too much trouble, including boxwood. The groundcover surrounding it could be a Liriope, lily of the valley, heuchera, Pachysandra, etc. The tree could be crape myrtle, Japanese maple, beauty bush, burning bush, etc. The surround below the tree could be daylilies, ferns, hostas, cast iron plant, etc. One could look around their town and see what plants people are keeping at these heights and that has appeal. Or search Google Images for the general type and see what appeals in the photos that are returned. Research the plants that one finds interesting to see if they have possibilities. Vett them with people who have knowledge of the local climate. Each plant has it's own personality which should be taken into account during the selection process. If you were to use my drawing as foundation for selecting plants, you have great latitude in tweaking what it looks like, depending on the plants you choose. For annuals, pick something that can tolerate the conditions (light, moisture, soil, etc.) It will boil down to what will tolerate the conditions and happens to be available and looks good when you go to buy.

I'm not one of the pros, but I'd prefer to see the garden in that little are inside of the walkway, between the house and walkway. What do you like? What are the shrubs that you outlined the walkway with? Where (nearest city) do you live? What are the dimensions in that semi-circle area? I envision something tallish between the door and the window to the right, but I couldn't make suggestions on specific plants unless you live in north Texas :-) I know that the folks that do the 'mock ups' would prefer pictures without the mower and other stuff in the frame because to show you a finished design, they'll have to edit all of that out of these pictures before they can show you something nicer.

Hi Jenny, I think the problem is not just that it's dark. It's that we can't discern a welcoming entrance and that makes us subconsciously uncomfortable. So I think all the white will help address the hidden entrance. Also the garage is over emphasized. The two plants on either side emphasize the garage even more. I'd trim those down so they are so prominent. I like the white, too. I would put on a porch but since your husband votes no for that I'd try some easier fixes: paint the door and door trim white, get a new light fixture, leave it on during the day, paint the trim around the alcove white, move the chairs and flower pots as it makes the alcove crowded, widen your steps so they run across the whole alcove. You can then move your pots to ground level. I think perhaps the back wall that the door is set into needs to be all white. After these easy fixes, if it needs more, I'd consider possibly adding additional trim work around the alcove to emphasize it more. It's possible to have the alcove area paneled with Azek or boards and painted all white. You can also do something with your landscaping to emphasize the front alcove and make it clear where the welcoming entry to the house is so it isn't so lost in the shadows. For instance a "runway" effect of small boxwoods (not sure if boxwoods are weather proof for your area) on each side of the sidewalk. Additional plants could round out the area as the designer indicated above but having that straight line to your front door I think would emphasize the alcove. Additional ideas - just brainstorming - these may not be good ideas - a pergola around the alcove (search on "pergola at entrance" on houzz), pergola over the garage doors to break up the triangle there. Trellis in white of course alongside the garage parallel to sidewalk. Paint the garage door white to break up the huge expanse of one color (which makes it appear even larger.) Extend roof over alcove forward so you can add a single white pillar at the corner. Look at how the white trim around the bay window is fairly wide and has a lot of presence. I think you need to produce that white outline around the alcove in the same way - wide enough to have presence to draw the eye. The darkness of the alcove may not even matter if the white outline is there to show where the doorway is. There appears to be existing trim outlining the alcove (at least at top and on right hand side). If it isn't wide enough - doesn't have enough presence - you can have an additional layer of wider trim attached to it at a fairly economic cost. You'll have to post pictures so we can see your home in its next phase! Sally