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Our soil is .... I think fairly nutrient deficient so a raised bed of nutrient rich soil

==>>> based on what??? .. guessing???

lets start basic ... you need to build beds ... first.. understand.. you are HIDING the foundation.. NOT PLANTING ON IT ... which is what was done previously ... and why the measly little beds.. look out of proportion to the height of the house ....

begin.. by understanding.. that 2 to 3 feet AT THE FOUNDATION .... is left bare.. for house maintenance ... for you to walk back there ... as you cruise the hood.. look at well landscaped houses.. and those that bother you .. and see if you can see what i am saying ... if you do.. then you have accomplished step one [... dont you have to clean your gutters a couple times a year with those big trees?? .. or put up xmas lights.. etc ....]

and then.. understand.. that you need a 6 to 8 foot bed ... plus the 2 or 3 feet left empty ... and you are talking about a near 10 foot deep bed ... again.. look around the area ... and see if you can spot this.. and whether it is pleasing to your eye.. as compared to the peeps who planted things two feet form the house 30 years ago ...

and for this season ... right now.. lets focus on the front of the house.. once you perfect that.. the sides will be much easier.. right now.. you are overwhelming yourself.. to think.. you are on this.. in the next 3 months .. you arent.. at your level of knowledge ...

then the issue is.. do you create a bed straight across the front.. or do we undulate it ... that is your choice.. look around the area again.. and determine what is pleasing to your eye ... or SOther if they are actually in charge.. lol ...

there.. thats enough for now ... otherwise.. i will overwhelm you ... define the bed design ... and then we can talk about how to build the bed .... and then ... we can talk about plant decisions.. and actual planting ... and if you think thats all going to be done inside the next 4 to 6 weeks... good luck with that ... if it took me the entire growing season to do this... i would be a happy boy in October ... if you want it done faster.. think about hiring a professional crew ...

finally .. reviewing the pix... my ideal bed would probably reach 3 to 4 feet BEYOND the porch ... curving into the walkway ... and go straight across the front of the house ... yeah.. what can i say.. lol ... i dont think the facade is wide enough to have some nice flowing curves .... without making it look hoaky ....

if you are interested in making this a conversation... then lets go for it ....

as for buying soil... you havent told us what your base native soil is.. so its hard to advise in that regard ... compaction can be uncompacted ... its clay i am worried about... and layering good soil above ... more facts ...

and finally??? ... lol ... i dont have soil touching my brick.. so we may need to deal with that ... but not slope new soil toward the house .. etc ... and before anything... get rid of those landscape timbers... crikey.. they look one foot from the house ...

double finally.. the best way to start.. and not look back.. is to rip everything out .. and get rid of it ... i dont know what inside the timbers.. but i dont like it.. and get rid of that big tub.. its ruining the natural elegance of the house and porch ... but i was thinking about some type of vines up those columns ...

BTW.. what are the trees .. ?? ... we have to figure out if we need to deal with their roots .... in the new beds ...

can we talk??? ... does the above.. in any way.. help you understand.. how to start ...????

ken

ps:everything is too green and lush.. to presume your soil is nutrient deficient ... lets not start by making presumptions ... have your soil tested.. if you think there really is a problem.. and do understand.. plants are not children.. they will never need to be fed... you need a good soil ... and you dont make that by throwing fertilizer around .. and i think you probably have a decent soil.. but plants to not need to be fed ... i think.. at your level of understanding.. its a non-issue.. which you are spending too much time thinking about ... so focus on the ramblings above ... soil will be issue 37.. not where you start .... [thank God.. i came full circle and remembered to finish on the topic i started with ... i hate when that doenst happen .. lol]

Hmmmm........many might take some exceptions to the above. Soil should always be the TOP of the list - it is the foundation of a good, healthy garden and is often overlooked. In my profession as a designer and horticultural consultant, I continue to urge clients to invest time and energy and even dollars in improving their soil condition. The better the soil you have, the better the plants will thrive, grow and bloom and fewer issues with insects and diseases you will have to contend with.

Get a good professional soil test done. It is a great benchmark from which to proceed and may surprise you. In many cases, the soil will benefit just from the addition of a quantity of organic matter, aka compost. This will loosen and lighten clay soils, improve drainage, contribute to the nutrient levels and help to retain moisture.

Make sure your planting beds are generously sized. Too often I see these tiny, narrow little borders around the base of house than cannot accommodate more than a single small plant, if that. Depth is important. You want to achieve some degree of layering so figure out what plants you want to include and plan accordingly. Typically you would place larger shrubs in back and smaller shrubs/plants in the foreground, alternating the placement Try not to be too soldierly or regimented in this placement - looser, free-flowing formations are best.

There is a landscape design rough rule of thumb that states that the front or entry garden should look uniformly welcoming year round. That means a preponderance - not necessarily all - of the plantings should be evergreen. And evergreen plants lower the maintenance issues significantly as well :-))

It is unreasonable to state that one never needs to fertilize. Nutrients can be depleted over time and need to be replenished periodically for the best health and appearance of the plants. The better you mulch, the less often this needs to be addressed but it is still a consideration going forward.

As to plant choices, now is a great time to visit your local garden center or independent nursery to see what they have on offer and what you like. My zone 8 suggestions won't make any sense for your area :-) You may also want to visit any local public gardens in the area as well. Often these places have things that are just a tad out of the ordinary and commonplace that will provide your home a unique character.

Hardscape first:

For starters, put up a handsome privacy fence to hide that patio from the street. Too much clutter. The fence should extend from house to the driveway. You could add a nice garden gate so access is easier.

Then you have a cleaner slate to begin with, visually speaking.