I cannot see the front door too well.

I'd choose the largest planter or all 3 planters or even 6 planters. (photo).

I'd plant whatever is easiest to care for. Plant each one the same if you decide to keep three or six. Cactus are nice, or shrubs.

By my front door I have urns with no plants. You could fill the planters with those nice black rocks and not plant anything.

I would space out 3 large planters(from the first picture on the left) in the space of the white wall. The "snake" like hardy plant would grow nicely in the planter and in the space. I have them in front of my front room window.

I like dwarf bamboo in pots - it grows pretty tall, 3-4 feet. I'd put big square pots that are black or zinc to really set off the green. You could break up the pots with some bench seating out front too.

Here are some plant choices and planters. Will be a great space with your great idea of bamboo- or whatever. Keep us updated.

i was thinking re claimed pallets stained for the planters. but i also like the tall grass in the black planters above.

I built these last year for my patio.

My reaction is its a quite a bit of boxy shapes with the 2 square boxes, and the sliding doors and the front door. One suggestion is to take picture of front of house to plant place and they can in fact help design with you.

Paint the downspout to the left of the windows the color of the wall & add a 3rd planter (or group of planters in that area. That would create a green boarder between the concrete & the house.

Whatever you do, find a way to wrap the low branches of that big tree with lights.

About the downspout -- check out the wide selection of rain chains now available, it will make a world of difference to the look. Have you considered skimming the concrete? There are nice tints. Also, various sizes of river rocks in that bed where you are putting the planters. Great house.

I would have maybe four long wooden flower boxes built - three along the long wall to the right of the fence and one in the section where the downspout is. I would paint that downspout the same color as the main body of the house. Keep the planter boxes in a natural finish to reflect your nice wooden fence and other wood elements. Fill the boxes with lush greenery and color.

Be careful with your material choices. A lot of treated lumber can be toxic to plants.

Yes, yes, get rid of the dark line of downspout! Paint it or get a rain chain for certain. I would use all the same size planter boxes with the same type and size plants in them to achieve the visual rhythm for which mid-century is known. A series of agave plants or large barrel cactus (yep, I'm from Arizona!) or the bamboo would be very interesting. Also, I would have the planters set in a horizontal stretch black river rocks, going the length of the house. I strongly agree with the suggestion to skim coat the driveway. It looks very tired and distracts from the beautiful lines of your home (I bet it was a great experience working on it! Its really special!). Another option for the driveway is to create a grid of large concrete squares with stones as the visual "grout" lines.

Here are some examples of tasteful planters, although some of them are not the style of your home. Hopefully it will give you some ideas.

From the looks of your photo, it seems there is a large area to deal with and considering that, larger pots are a good idea. Also, watch to see how much sun or shade that area received during the entire day. That will make a difference what you actually decide to plant there.

A nice grouping, as you've shown, of three good-sized pots is a great idea. Be sure the color is complementary to the home exterior. And one note about black or dark colored pots: they absorb heat and can literally "cook" the plants roots in very hot sun.

I would plant several Agave Parryi, you can see them in mass if you go to Sunnylands in Palm Springs web-site. I think 8 or so with low voltage LED spots on them at night, will add drama and a lot of interest to your home. You have a Mid-Century Home, so keep it simple, No planter boxes needed. Good Luck. Blue Agave would also be a good choice, but they get big, but you will enjoy them for 15-20 years, before having to remove them. Good Luck!

Not sure about your climate but suggest capitalizing on the Japanese flavor of your home with bamboo and a Japanese maple. These do well in pots but need regular watering.

I notice that the roof has an overhang. That may prevent much rain/moisture from getting to that location. If this is the case, keep the dry conditions in mind when choosing plants, as you will not want to HAVE to water the plants that you put out there. I have a similar area in my house and I find that drought tolerant plants like sedums work well, but your area of the country likely has different plants that would do well in that particular spot.

The wood planters you drew above would look nice, I think. I like the wood and the horizontal lines. I like the style of your house and it looks good with or without the planters. I'm sure whatever you choose will look great!

I just came across these pics I thought you would like. I have also seen "snake plants" create a very interesting compostion. Sticking with an architectural feel will compliment the style of your house. Hope this helps.

The tall black planters with an ornamental grass would look modern. Depending on the length of the wall three or four would complement the front. Loads of pictures of grasses on Houzz.

Hi There,

I Really like how you did the exterior of your place. Well Done. I agree with your idea of a Large Palm -placed by the fence, tall green/black/red grasses in short black pots 3 in qty, than three sold red short grasses and a square planter with Bamboo by the door. Flush the lawn to the grey gravel by fence to create a seamless flow and you'll have a stunning curb appeal.

Happy landscape designing!!

Lyons Design

What about growing a espalier there on the wall?

http://moranlandscapes.com/landscape/small-garden-espalier/

there's a company in KC that makes awesome planters including custom sizes, shapes and colors. poly-stone planters. www.poly-stone.com

I like your idea of cedar planters in your drawing, arizonairv. You may consider a different type of pot altogether with a different plant (tree?) over near the downspout.

I would design a full wall trellis for vining flowers then various sizes of rearrange-able containers in front

Wow! Lyons Design - beautiful!!!

Looks like you have gotten some good suggestions about the planting. From the photo you posted, I would recommend thinking about the driveway treatment as it's not adding beauty to the composition. Th concrete looks to be in good shape, so removing it would be costly. Perhaps you could consider saw cutting out selected portions to include gravel strips or planting. This would relieve the monotony of all that concrete, and provide for visual interest. Coordinate that with the planter against the house and you could enhance the look still further.

a close pattern with grass

another pattern with grass

using gravel

using a variety of plantings and stones

I like what Lyons Design did. I absolutely love bamboo...I have a "wall" of bamboo on one side of my hot tub. Love the sound of it in the wind and the rain, birds love it, and it's beautiful without needing much care. I like the idea Lyons had of a big planter off to the left, then smaller planters, then moving to the big planter with the bamboo. Nice balance and contrast.

I'm not a fan of cactus...especially heading up to your front entry door...it just seems to say "stay away...I have barbs!".

i have lava rocks covering the planters around my pool and hate the look apart from white pebbles any ideas on how to improve the look on a budget that I can do myself easily I,m a retired lady

Thank you

https://www.bunnings.com.au/pour-in-place-1-5m2-black-wetpour-rubber-surfacing_p3321478

I would suggest this product or something similar then you can put some skinny tall planters on the extra ledge space. Which would widen the walking space too.