What is your zone for plants?

such a cute house! im going to go with east coast near water....

You could put a flower bed on the left side of the front of the house for bulbs and perennials so you don't have to replant each year. Go with tulips and daffodils, some day lilies, shasty daisies and maybe some lavender and they'll keep coming back till you dig them up. And they spread! I was given 4 day lilies about 8 years ago that it took me an entire afternoon to dig up and transplant last fall as they were so crowded together! And they're up in their new spots looking great. I put in some shasta daisies 17 years ago that have been dug up but keep coming back. Same for Black Eyed Susans. And my daffodils keep spreading as well.

If you like them, put some in, but be sure and keep them trimmed up so they don't take over. Overgrown shrubs make a house look run down which is another reason to regularly trim them. And don't forget that large roots can grow into your foundation and damage it. We had to cut our Mexican Rose bush way back as it was damaging the chimney.

Go to a local nursery or plant farm and ask what grows well in your area and type of soil.

I

i see a slighting a slightly raised bed with hosta, tiger lilly, lilly of the valley, and some shrubs. in soft curve beds.

I'd pick a specimen tree to put in your front yard. I'm fond of early Spring flowers, for which flowering cherries are usually the earliest. You can find pretty trees that provide fruit, too. You don't want it too close to your house. We have a beautiful Japanese Maple that is just too close and is heading for brushing branches against the 3rd floor windows.

Shrubs: I like flowers. Hydrangeas are classic, and should grow well for you. Azaleas and Rhodos have pretty flowers, as does Mountain Laurel, which might be native. Calycanthus is interesting and has a nice scent. You want to pick cultivars that will not grow too big. Blueberries are pretty, too. And they give you free fruit.

I'd put a vine to climb up your porch railing. Honeysuckle has a lovely scent. Some rambling roses are easy care (pay attention to the cultivar and get one from a good local nursery (ie not shipped from Carolina and supposed to be good to zone 3). Clematis is lovely.

You want to look at garden ideabooks on Houzz to get the right mix of colors, heights, shapes, etc. https://www.houzz.com/photos/mary-liz-campbell-landscape-design-eclectic-landscape-new-york-phvw-vp~607234

I'd recommend paying attention to natives for your flower garden:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/wild-lupine-landscape-minneapolis-phvw-vp~13355647

https://www.houzz.com/photos/wild-geranium-a-show-stopper-in-the-spring-woodland-landscape-minneapolis-phvw-vp~12882491

https://www.houzz.com/photos/purple-prairie-clover-dalea-purpureum-traditional-landscape-denver-phvw-vp~2089446

https://www.houzz.com/photos/great-design-plant-sweet-pepper-bush-phvw-vp~5645467

https://www.houzz.com/photos/fernleaf-bleeding-heart-landscape-phvw-vp~19820796

https://www.houzz.com/photos/harebell-landscape-minneapolis-phvw-vp~13823940

https://www.houzz.com/photos/native-plants-of-the-northeast-phvw-vp~24906787

https://www.houzz.com/photos/perennial-planting-traditional-landscape-london-phvw-vp~2204948

https://www.houzz.com/photos/prairie-phlox-landscape-minneapolis-phvw-vp~14352164

I would widen your front walkways to about 4 or 5 feet wide. Maybe you could redo it using pavingstone or flagstone (if its in the budget). The drawing above is a good representation of bed shapes you should consider. You do need a little bit of height to combat the height of the house. Consider Multistem Serviceberry because they don't get too huge with a little pruning along the way. For shrubbery, add some evergreen for some winter interest. Dense Yew is a good choice for low growers, and Hicks Yew is good for some vertical over if you wanted to cover the "foundation" of your house. And like everyone else is saying, add a good mix of perennials for some color and interest. Maybe consider an island planting bed in the lawn with a nice native specimen like Red Maple. Cute home :)

all i would do is change the color of the front door. Dont go adding shutters, until you landscape and give it a year to fill in. then will be a better time to decide if anything is 'missing'

I second the vote for plants native to your area. Much more fuss-free and also good for the birds and butterflies. As for front door colors, check out the guides on Houzz: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Front-Door-Colors

If your siding is wood, I would put wider framing around the windows to beef them up. Then I would put a lattice or obelisk between the two left windows and plant a climbing vine on it. Clematis have many colours and varieties. I would put a decorative tree: Japanese maple, or a purple leaved shrub about 18 ft out from the trellis but about two feet towards the far tree line.

Once you widen the sidewalk the area between the porch and sidewalk can be planted with three shrubs, I wouldnèt plant anything that will get over three feet high. If you donèt want to weed and would like to save water lay landscape fabric and then mulch or put river rock around the plants.You can plant perennials and bulbs and leave room for annuals if you like try not to crowd your plants remember some get bigger quickly. Planters on each side of your stair rails on the sidewalk and a hanging planter on the porch at the driveway corner. I would also widen the sidewalk and consider a border. If you want a more casual walkway pea gravel is an option that would be a bit better than the crushed stone. If you would like to invest a little more consider interlock, flagstone or stamped, stained concrete.

Research your native trees and shrubs and their soil and sun conditions and then go from there. As someone said get advice at a local garden centre from someone with knowledge of horticulture. Wow sorry to be so long winded. Just some ideas, do what you like and it will be great.

endless summer blue hydrangea!