Stick close to what you see your neighbors have that you like. Do you have a good yard person? The guy that does the maintenance on my lawn does a lot of extras. I get him to do a little something every couple of months or so. I'm still cleaning up and ripping stuff out, but hopefully will get to start planting this year. I'm low maintenance too - flowering bushes (knockout roses or azaleas) and lower maintenance "greenery" lorapetalum ( not sure how to spell that). All depends on where you live too.

Thank you so much! The front yard does drop off a bit, we are having someone come spray the ditch to kill the weeds there.

I'm glad you mentioned the front deck, I think that is part of what makes it look so unfinished/blah. It's currently stained, but I think it needs to pop a bit more. Love white but was worried about the maintenance. We are debating re-doing that deck either this Fall or Spring and were thinking about using the glass panels rather than wood spindles to give it more of a modern look. Thoughts?

How about a retaining wall along the front of your property? You could stagger the height and bring it up along side your driveway on the right side, creating flower beds for perennials behind it as a border

Nadine, contact a few landscaping contractors who specialize in hardscapes, etc and see what they have to offer. Each one has its design style and they have many options for every budget, and they know which plants will perform best for your region, that would be your best option to start your project.

Ask your neighbors who they used for landscaping.

You'll want to start by covering the foundation and softening the lines of the house with some curved beds.

Please do not spray the weeds. You will kill bees, butterflies & other beneficial insects that birds need for food. Just tear the weeds out by hand. There is no such thing as a "safe" garden chemical.

I agree with Tai about the herbicides. There are some safe ways like clove oil or mixtures of vinegar and salt. Some recommend just using boiling water. You'll need to Google them.

I also think it is a good idea, asking your neighbors with gardens you admire, about their planting and/or landscape designers. I agree with grapefruit1_ar, foundation planting is a great idea and would help ground your house. You probably need to plant something that grows to just below your window sills, like Mexican orange blossom, or smaller growing rhododendrons.

I wouldn't suggest using glass on your front deck, I think it be too modern for your style house. Painting the front deck a dark stain/black would be a bit more contemporary and also tie it in to the roof color.

Some shrubs to grow up to just below the front windows, maybe some India Hawthorne or native plants from your area. You need a path that goes from the front steps to the street or it can curve toward the bottom of the driveway. Edge the path with some low growing colorful plants. A small tree will frame the right side of your home (right center of the front lawn).