If you hate to remove, I would layer and to make your front door feel larger and a focal point, painting that whole section would be so nice! You can also add urns on the edge of your walkway near the staircase, to make it feel wider.

Love your house. Yes, a layered bed of soft flowering shrubs like the hydrangeas shown would be stunning. For once I won't suggest a cottage garden since I see you have a little fella there who should enjoy your lawn. An additional idea is to build long, white window boxes that run the length of your windows. Plant tall-ish flowering plants in them during summer and fill with greens in winter. You didn't ask, but your landing deserves a hanging brass lantern if that's the hardware you have on your front door.

I was going to suggest exactly what Maureen pictured above. Not sure which way your house faces, but a row of low, long-blooming shrubs in front would be great. The rose "The Fairy" is a great one. Low, hardy, bug and insect free, blooms from June to hard frost. Or a few miniature hydrangeas.

Thanks for the hydrangea idea (annabelles)--that's what I was thinking actually. I like the layer look. I'm going to look up the rose, too. I like the urns idea--yes I think a couple of pots would help a lot. And I'm going to look up what you mean by brass hanging lantern. Thanks to all of you who added comments!

Sorry, I should've said hanging outdoor pendant light, craftsman style. If your front door fixtures are or will remain brass, then the pendant should have a brass finish. Actually, you have a tall door, so you may need a flush mounted craftsman style porch light. Not a priority. Good luck!

Housegal200, I really appreciate you pointing this out. You get used to things on your own house, and then you don't see them. But now I see exactly what you see and that white little globe doesn't fit the style at all! My whole house is craftsman inside with brass, so what you are suggesting is exactly right. Thanks again.

I would actually keep the hedges because of very low maintenance. They also provide green in the winter. I would plant some nice perennials in the front of them. I like the corner flower beds and maybe bring it down both sides of the walkway.

I seem to be in the minority here, but I would remove at least the first bush each side of the door. The remaining yew bushes will look rather ugly for the first year or two because the bushes tend to grow into one another and have some bare spots when the neighbor is removed. Fortunately, yews will branch out to cover the bare areas as soon as they get sunlight .

I'm not fond of yew hedges because by late summer, the new growth gets shaggy but isn't supposed to be trimmed off until very early the following spring. To my eye, almost all the time I see those bushes, they either look like they've been scalped, or need a haircut.

Of course, taking them out is a major job if you plan to remove the roots also. I removed a group in front of my house a few weeks ago and ended up digging out the roots for two bushes and the remaining four just ended up being cut level with the ground.

Because the front of your house is not symmetrical, you may find that it works to do different landscaping on either side of the steps.

I agree that removing the two closest to the steps would work. Why not stop pruning them into those tortured square shapes? Let them grow out and shape into small bushes. I've done this successfully with ligustrums. It takes several years but you can coax them into looking more "free" and casual if you're patient and methodical. Start pruning up the bottom to leave room for lower growing plants and prune out the interior dense branches.

Hydrangeas are nice but relying on them will leave you with bareness during the winter months. Make sure to interplant deciduous with evergreen to keep winter interest.

Make sure to plan for scale too. Those puny pansies against the larger yews look stranded.

I recommend keeping the boxy yew hedge. Makes for a lovely deep green backdrop for additional plantings. To increase eye appeal to your front entry stoop I would differentiate it's color from your walk way. Great concrete stains available to do this. Where you carved out your flower planting area I would add two sizable outdoor year round urns that you can use year round for seasonal interest and as a nice welcoming intro to your front entry. For the front yard I would recommend removing the grass on either side of your walkway. Then turn this area into a colorful perennial garden interspersing it with more varied evergreens and red twig shrubs for winter color. Think of adding a series of Spring blooming shrubs and trees to take advantage of the rich backdrop of your green yew hedge.

I think the existing hedge is too big. I would take it out and replace with a mix of smaller shrubs. I've never had much luck with perennials but colorful annuals in front of of the new shrubs would look good. Bright Geraniums in summer. Colored cabbage (can't think of the name..) in winter. Some tulips and daffodils for spring.

I like your hedge. I think it is to-scale for your home. I like the urn idea too! Remember, when planting blooming perrenials, their bloom time is generally shorter than annuals, unless you choose a rose that is consider ever-blooming. Annuals is urns will give you a longer bloom time. Gorgeous home! I like it's serene "face."

Let your hedge go a bit more 'natural' and put away the electric hedge trimmer but don't get rid of the hedge, it is worth a lot in terms if you were to replace it. Think of things to plant in front of it to soften the look. Looks like you have a lot of sun exposure so you have lots of choices. Ask for specific suggestions for your climate zone at your local nursery. You might want to plant some roses in front of the hedge. Knock out roses are very easy to grow as long as you remember to deadhead them. And a few annuals in front will add color if the roses are between blooms.

Before I would remove any of them, cut them back and let them try to start over without the boxy shape. It may take a year but if they live you have lost nothing. I cut the heck out of ours last fall and they are back and filled out in a better shape this spring. Your front is not awful just a little boring with out color.

I would paint the door as suggested, perhaps color that is replicated by a perennial flower each spring, summer or/fall. Leave the hedges. Extend, in a half circle your flower bed so that a tight conifer that is dwarfed but vertical enough -stands a few feet out from the hedge, is as high as the bottom of the windows when planted and is no closer than the (away from the door) edge of your windows. It will be more formal, as easy to maintain as the flowers you have now and not terrible expensive. In addition it "points" visually to your door. Make sure you have good lighting everywhere.

I would take out every other one and fill in the gaps with flowering perennials for interest. Plant lots of bulbs for spring colour. Let the remaining yews grow to a natural shape which is much more attractive IMHO. I love Terra cotta pots either side of the door,and paint some of the white. A house in my area changed from white trim to a rich greenish taupe and that alone made a huge difference. Host as mixed in with the perennials are good as layers. Your home is gorgeous, just needs to be livened up a bit. And of course paint the front door. I can see the results in my mind and love it!

I would rather see the fancy brickwork than the old fashioned boxy yews. Then add some of the pretty flowers recommended.

The yews look beautiful, they're a nice overall size, and they flatter your house. Agree that a more natural, rounded shape is worth trying before removal. If you do remove the yews, I'd recommend all or nothing because they're probably not distinct shrubs anymore. The ones you leave behind will look brutalized for at least a year or two, and you will have lost the nice symmetry of the hedge with the house. Starting over with new yews as a backdrop to some smaller flowering shrubs might be a good option, but I would definitely use yews. Having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, I've seen dozens of lovely houses like yours whose owners modernized the landscape by removing their yew caterpillar. Those poor houses look naked and they lose their relationship to the yard. Perennials simply aren't up to the job as a foundation plant, especially in Chicago. Most of them generally look untidy by late summer and they disappear in winter when you need them most. Hydrangeas, even if they perform well for you, also fail the year-round test. Hollies and boxwoods just aren't as dependable as yews.

The layered look would be my choice. It has been my experience that if you remove any yew the remaining edge is very ugly. Knockout roses in front of hedge would be pretty too. I would consider adding a vertical element at each corner of the house to break up the horizontal line of yews. Tall cone shaped hollies or small blooming trees would be nice. As has been suggested, tall urns near steps, new light and accent color for door would bring life to your lively home. Have fun! You already have a lovely background!

I agree with Connie....the yews need to go! Having owned and rehabbed several older homes in the past I understand your dilemma. Landscaping trends (like fashion) change over time and it's hard to rehab old yews that are planted too close to the foundation and try to make them look fresh and new. Chances are the bushes are woody and bare toward the center and only have green on the outer branches, so dividing them will only make them look worse.

You'll be amazed at how much more open and attractive your yard will look with a fresh, open and layered landscape design. I like the idea of changing the door color, adding some colorful porch pots on the lower steps and perhaps even incorporating a bench as part of the landscape design so you can sit and watch your toddler play on the front walk. :-)

you have exactly opposite of my problem, so if you would like to send me some of those yews, I would be very happy. i agree that they should be made a more natural shape. But my big points are that they provide winter greenery, it would be an added pain to pull them out (plus you might well regret it later) and they are already there, why kill if you don't have too? i am adding a winter greenery garden on either side of my front yard. Mine won't be as big as yours, but that way I have green all winter. I am not even incorporating it into my regular garden, so it won't be holey in winter. My yard will just look totally different. My vote is you either let the first 2 yews by the door grow tall (a fl girl don't know their growth habit) or you put something taller in front of them, because I instantly see the lopsidedness of one extra window. I agree with fixing up the door and light, to make them show up more. Then I would plant in front of yews lovely flowering perennials, I like hydrangeas, and I must always have a rose, though not a knock out rose, it has become too common for me. When all these lovely plants die back in winter, your lovely green wall will show more. Put a really fancy wreath on the front door, I have a gold one that I put a single red cardinal on. Sounds pretty flashy, but if you have the right spot, it is stunning. Can you add some heavenly bamboo, you get all those great red seeds all winter.

If you love gardening, junk the yews and have fun playing. If you don't find outdoor work appealing, these yews are a great, carefree "filler". It would be nice to remove one on each side but am not sure there is enough sun exposure, particularly on the N side, to rejuvenate the resultant raw, bare edges.

I've read all the comment and I like the hedges, love the window box idea especially if you can maintain them from the windows, painting the door is a great suggestion also and also the light fixture. If you wanted to open up the step area I would angle the yews gradually away from the step to open it up without it looking chopped.

I would suggest moving the hedge out to the sidewalk edge to enclose your yard a bit, then plant cottage perennials where the shrubs were.

Loose the yews! There's some great evergreen shrubs/trees that can add visual interest in the winter - like funky ones from Japan. Keep some symmetry to them, like matching taller ones on each end and maybe a smaller one or something with red berries in the winter near the steps. Then various hydrangeas in beteen - there's so many choices there's days, including ones with interesting branch colors. Then maybe layer in some other perennials in front.

Put a bright cheery color on the door - like coral, periwinkle, lime green, etc.. And put some interesting and colorful curtains on the 2nd floor windows with with a large pattern.

Then put blue ceramic pots on each end of the two bottom steps with vibrant geraniums in each of them.

Remove the yews and you will have a 5' brick wall staring at you.

The yews act as the first layer of landscaping. I would trim them back so they weren't quite so deep and maybe even slightly reduce the height. I'd also clip the corners back at the front door and even on the sides to soften the hard edges but also to focus attention on the stairs and entry.

I would plant hydrangeas at the outside corners and maintain them at 1/2 the height of the yews. The effect should be to form a horseshoe of shubbery. Finally, your walkway is arched to the steps. I would place a lower scale urn on either side of the steps centered in those arcs.

When complete, you'd be left with approximately 10 feet of lawn, a bed of lower growing flowering shrubs, your yews and then the building. Your eye would naturally travel from the widest expanse of lawn at the sideway and be focused to the front door thru the use of hydrangeas and urns.

You may also want to consider breaking up all the white trim with a medium tone on the dormer that compliments the brick and roof as well as a pop of color on the front door.

I would leave the hedge and add a narrow bed in front of it--maybe 18"-- with something looser and lower, like white knock-out roses (easy!) or annabelle hydrangeas (I've found these easy too). I think the contrast in foliage would be pretty and would break up the boxiness of the yew hedge, but you'd still get the greenness of it in winter. I think the hedge will look quite odd if you take out the two yews flanking the door. Instead, I agree with other posters about adding urns on either side of sidewalk in front of yews. Try planting coleus, geranium, and sweet potato vines in them. Never fails to look great. I think the key is adding layers. Also very much agree about adding a craftsman light fixture and possibly painting the door. You could also add bolder, craftsman style house #s.

The house isn't symmetrical. Maybe remove one side and do something with the space. If it doesn't work then remove the other side.

I'm an interior decorator in Palos Heights so I'm no gardener but I'm thinking start by painting the door and skylights a color, maybe a pretty aqua. I quickly put a little sample together.

There's a lot of square ness going on but it's a beautiful house with all those windows!

Look up Bungalow gardens and find inspiration there. Yews found their zenith in the 50's and their boxy shape is the antithesis of Arts and Crafts garden design-and the reason why you instinctively know they aren't working. You may be inspired to go with something fluffier and less formal looking and may be surprised at how it flatters your home's exterior. If you have nice brick work, like many Chicago bungalows do, it would be nice to see some of it peek through. Also, in considering the front door, a period style door will do wonders! Avoid the usual raised panel colonial style or fussy Victorian. A strong color would be great though. Good luck!

i would like to see them whacked down to about half the height shown here. with a thin boarder of bright bedding plants in front of them. even variegated hostas would be nice. anything bright... white or vibrant color..

and while you're shortening, also reduce their width. the depth.

I like the idea of removing the two closest to the door and putting in a hydrangea. Then layering in front of the whole thing. I wouldn't use an Annabel though. The incrediball hydrangea has stinger branches and bigger flowers...it's the improved Annabel.

Yew are so lucky to have those yous ; ) which provide year round color, cover a lot of lower house, are easy to maintain, and are free! If you want to simplify things a bit for yourself, remove the bulbs and annuals and replace with 2 generously-sized planters, as another poster suggested; stone look, perhaps. Plant annuals in them as formal or fun as you'd like, also generously.

Take other suggestions by posters to paint your front door and sidelights a fresh, interesting color, keeping the trim white and changing the white door light to a flush mounted metal to match door handle (bronze?). Craftsman-style address numbers do seem like a cool idea, also metallic.

We have old yews out front, too, that I still love--and 2 planters, too, each filled usually with a center spike plant surrounded by alternating bright pink geraniums and white petunias (3each), and vinca trailing down the sides. Before having kids, I also planted long rows of begonias in front of the yews, but after, I ditched the extra work of the border plants out front and concentrated on gardening in the backyard, where the kids played and we always hang out, as empty nesters now! Have fun. What a nice house!

I too have yews which I would love to remove. However, after this past winter's heavy snow fall (which I assume you must get in Chicago) I had no choice but to shovel snow from my deck and roof unto the yews. At one point there must have been about 5 feet of heavy snow on top of them. Miraculously, the yews survived and are thriving while my rhodies, roses and hydrangeas took a beating. If snow will not be piled up in this area...rip them out!! If you would like greenery through the winter, perhaps add an interesting dwarf hinoki cyprus on the corners or dwarf rhodies which now come in many interesting colors. I would not put a perennial bed in front of the yews because you will have to prune the hedges to keep them out of the flower bed. How about a dwarf magnolia tree in the yard? If you like gardening, why not extend the beds up along the sidewalk. Good luck.

i have one question that does not seem to have been thought of, is there a basement behind those yews? they help absorb water if not in danger of invading basement. They also keep your basement much cooler, which provides cool air coming up through the floor. It should keep it warmer in winter too, though that is logic talking. They catch the snow, allowing a form of igloo to be created, this should create more warmth than exposure to the elements. Going nuts yet? lol

When we moved into our house on the NW side of Chicago 11+ years ago . . . most of the houses had the same landscaping with a small retaining wall and perfectly manicured hedges in them. Granted most of those residents were elderly and had the landscapers coming out every week to cut the grass, etc. The first thing we did was take out all the evergreens in the front yard.

I did have a perennial border for several years, and just last year we went more modern and now have a variety of grasses that we cut down in the Spring and just let them do their thing.

If you prefer to have some winter interest or evergreens, I like a dwarf Mugo pine. I have one in my back yard and it's beautiful! It gets only 4 ft tall and I believe the spread is 4-6 ft. I think it would look great with some Knockout roses and the hydrangeas that were mentioned by a couple of others here.

Hope you have fun planning your new garden!

Here's a photo of the Mugo I mentioned in my last post.

I agree that the front door should be painted. Black would be nice with brass and two black iron urns at either side of the door. I would definitely not remove the yews. Removing just two would be a nightmare. The sides of the shrubs adjacent to the ones that are removed would take considerable time to grow in if ever. They would serve as a lovely backdrop to any kind of hydrangeas including Annabelle and Endless Summer if you prefer color. Boxwoods are a wonderful smaller shrub but are slow growing and are subject to boxwood blight that is becoming very widespread. There is significant height between the bottom of your windows and the ground so boxwoods would take considerable time to fill in this space. Window boxes combined with slowly reducing the height of the yews would work well. Good luck.

I would add several clumps of ornamental grasses intermixed with the hydranges, it would give you nice fall and winter interest and a nice texture and update.

My neighbors had the same issue with their house. One day I saw the husband hook a chain around the bottom of a bush and pull each one out with a little tracker type riding mower thing (technical term). They popped right out and it really made a huge wonderful difference. You can see the house now and they added other plants. They did it themselves in a day - I couldn't believe how easy they came out. Yes, take the plunge and remove them. I love the suggestions above. You're getting some great ideas.

Perhaps first make the color change to door and light fixture change. Then reassess the plantings.

You need 'softness' - look at it from the inside to outside: goodbye yews; spireas at the sidewalk each side across front; then plant coneflowers, black eyed Susan's and other perennials mixed with annuals in triangular patterns in your rectangular grass areas

I agree with removing the Yews. They do nothing for your curb appeal and are dated. I would consider hedging the foundation with hydrangeas and adding a boxwood low hedged, curved or straight in front of them as a border, such as Chicagoland boxwood, a low growing boxwood. There are so many varieties of hydrangeas for you to choose from. Choose based on lighting conditions.

I like the yews and would not change them.

With what seems like a small front yard, you may still want evergreens of some sort. Rhododendron and the evergreen varieties of azalea would give year round color, interest, and coverage with the bonus of spring flowers.

Either leave them in, or take them out completely because if you leave some they won't look right with the bare sides showing.

Hello! A year later, I'm wondering what you ended up doing! We DID remove our huge boxy yews on our south-facing Craftsman just a week ago here in WI, and I'm plagued by the having something I love there (hydrangea!) or something evergreen (boxwood or arborvitae...!) Would love to hear/see what you decided to plant!

You should plant marigolds horizontally