Wow, you have these big garden beds, you have space, you have sunshine! You must go for a walk -- multiple walks. Start HERE at your local Botanical Gardens. Look in local publications or online for spring/summer open gardens/garden walks. Get inspired! Chat up the gardeners and the visitors who live nearby. Learn what excites you, learn what grows easily. Then plant in early fall, and again next spring.

The tree at the left is close enough to the house that it could be included in the foundation bed planting. Or, it could be separate with a grass path between it and the house. I would bring grass all the way to the stoop in order to keep the entrance open and inviting. If you plant taller things in front of it, it will seem as if a barricade.

The walk is narrow and not laid out compatible with normal human walking. People do not turn at 90* angles like that. It would seem friendlier if it was a gentle curve and wider.

It looks like the sidewalk descends as it approaches the stoop, which of course it shouldn't do, since the destination is at a higher elevation. Calculate if you could eliminate one or both steps with a new walk, by making it a gradually ascending ramp. You may need a retaining wall in order to better accommodate the grade difference near the porch and garage door.

I didn't even notice the off-set door till the above poster called attention to it. Now I can't see anything else! That door placement is really odd. I like what gardener123 did with it.

I think what works in the images I posted is the perfect symmetry. It provides balance and a focal point. Maybe just ignore the fact that the door is offset.

But there is a lot more traffic on the home decorating forum, and you will probably get better ideas than mine! Home Decorating Forum

gardener123 I agree about the symmetry. I really liked the photo you posted with the bench in the middle. I'm thinking we will pull the grass closer to the porch but not all the way, and put a row of boxwoods on each side. It will work as a natural railing in a way. It won't end up completely symmetric because of the existing trees and the house itself not being symmetric, but it is what it is. Thanks for your input!

Can you put the boxwood behind the tree to keep it symmetric?

The house may not be symmetrical, but the porch is, and it's so stately. I would play that up with the bench and urns, like these in the center to mark the path entry.

Yes, we will run the boxwoods behind the tree. I'll use an equal amount on each side. I was just saying that since the trees are unsymmetric, it wouldn't I be completely even on both sides. On the driveway side, the bed continues another 5' past the outer column, but if i space them correctly it should still look good. I also liked your idea to create access to the garage man door. I'm thinking we'll work our small retaining wall off the front of the porch and add steps off the porch to the driveway. Thanks again for your suggestions!

At the risk of drawing your attention to another architectural weak point, the comparison photos all have much more substantial pillars. Yours are disproportionately slender for the house. Don't despair because there is a landscaping solution! Climbing hydrangea planted at the foot of each pillar will clad them in time. Not no time. Time.