Keep remaining tree!

Are they crepe myrtle? If they are, I just love those them!! I own 4 of my own. Mine are not that large. We cut them back early spring. My suggestion for you would be to take out the one closest to the front steps. (I would check with a local nursery to see if they would like to buy it from you or maybe you could take it as a trade for other items)

Do not cut back crepe myrtles yearly. Google crepe murder, it ruins the tree. Sorry pet peeve, but my crepes bloom earlier and longer than my neighbors that trim theirs. I trim mine to give them a nice shape, not knurled knuckles that kill the trees prematurely.

I would lose that strange lollipop shaped bush near the door. Hydrangeas are lovely and will soften the existing plantings.

I agree with hayleydaniels...keep them since they can add value. We have 6 crepe myrtles, and I especially love the ones with multi-trunks. Nice house!

How do I handle my trees when they grow so high each year? If I don't trim them they hang sadly everytime it rains.....and in the heavy snows? I don't want high trees. They bloom and are beautiful most of the summer!!

If the Myrtle trees are healthy, keep them. They need to be cleaned up by a person who know what they are doing. These trees will add value and interest to your home. You have a beautiful home to begin with. The Myrtles will bloom most of the summer. and if pruned correctly in the winter, the framework of the tree can be just as beautiful as when the tree is in bloom. These trees will help with the scale of your home. It is tall, and these trees will help to not make it feel quite so tall. Clean them up and work from there. You want to layer the plants in height. Larger in the rear to low up front. Also consider lighting the trees with some good quality low voltage lighting. They look awesome at night. You can even cast a shadow of the framework against the house. That is always stunning. A good Landscape Contractor will often come out at night and demonstrate different ways to light your landscape. You have great bones to work with. I wish you the best on renovating your landscape. I am sure it will turn heads when done.

Everybody is right, do not lop them off, instead trim from the bottom up. Get rid of the small stalks at the bottom and trim the canopy on the bottom side. By doing so they will grow taller faster and eventually be above the elevation of the house. Then up light the house and the CMs, not with foundation lights but with landscape light with a wide beam spread. You will want to have the light reflecting off the trunks of the CMs and lighting the bottom side of the canopy.

Just some thoughts.

Here are some pics

Thanks SO much for these comments everyone! They are beyond helpful. This is my first house so all of this stuff is very new to me. Does anyone have any ideas on plants (bushes, floral, etc.) to go in between/behind the other bushes in that front area? I am sure I should talk to a local landscaper and get some ideas. We are just trying to save some money and do most of this ourselves. :)

What part of the country are you in???

I live in North Carolina :)

Contact the North Carolina Master Gardeners

http://ncmgva.camp8.org/

They will provide you with direction without the expectation of selling you something. Also ask them about gardening shows put on by them in your area. We display at the Collin County Master Gardeners Show here in North Texas and it has been a better experience than a Home and Garden Show which we stopped doing about four years ago.

Also put a raised flower bed on the left side of the sidewalk around the front to the driveway then put a landscape light in that flowerbed to light the sidewalk and draw attention to the entry because right now the driveway is the attention getter, not good.

Something like this Attraction Light, if you were in North Texas We would actually sell you this fixture and install it for less than what the manufacturer is selling it for on Houzz and on their website. It is an attention getter at night and a piece of art during the day.

Just some thoughts!!!!

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I love these ideas/thoughts. :) Thank you so much. Will definitely look into that link you provided!!!

We are here to help people out. We just had a lighting demo last night and the potential customer told us that we were more open and honest about lighting and things that they needed to do for the front of their house than any other contractor they talked to.

Our very first four customers are still with us after 10 years of operation. Lighting was the first thing that we installed and we have expanded that to Christmas Lighting, Automated Mosquito Misting, Water Features, Rain Water Harvesting, Gutter Brush, and Cool Fogging.

Speaking of Gutter Brush, take a look at the gutters on the left side of the house to make sure they are not clogged. If they are get them cleaned out and put some type of gutter guard, I recommend Gutter Brush for a number of reasons all in the interest of saving you money and preventing any future damage to you roof line and soffits. You can order it direct for the manufacturer at http://www.gutterbrush.com/. Also I was wondering what the dark rectangles are under the windows, is your house pier&beam and those are vents?

I circled one in the picture

Just wondering.

Love the comments on the crepe myrtles. I live in the Outer Banks and cringe when I see owners and landscapers butcher them to the tops of the trunks. A nicely curved bed in the front would be lovely. Podacarpus would lend some height at either end, hydrangeas, and some soft leaf holly for contrast would work. Maybe a camelias too.

Another tree maybe a chaste tree, photo will be upside down.

trim it up a little away from the ground and put two well lights under it and at night that would be awesome!!!!