Please submit other pictures. Move in a little closer to the subject (only about 10' further in) and line up the camera with the front door. Hold the camera in the vertical format instead of horizontal, on account of it being two-story house. Then take slightly overlapping photos, panning from far left to far right. We should see the right and left neighbor's houses in the set of photos, as seeing the setting is essential. After you take those pics, back up and take a horizontal picture from enough distance away that we can see the whole front yard in one picture. Don't make a panorama out of the pictures before you post them.

Do those rocks stick up above the grade (how much?) or do they retain the grade?

Thank you so much.

The rocks are placed on the the ground level of the house and are stacked. The boxwoods are raised and there is empty space behind the boxwoods as well.

@kiminpl So do you think I should keep the stones? Just trying to gauge various opinions. Thank you again

Should you keep the stones? From what I can see in the photo, those on the left look fairly well stacked; those on the right look more of a jumble? If they are not securely and aesthetically well placed, that might be fixed, but if they don't serve a structural purpose and don't appeal to you, then remove them.

"The rocks are placed on the the ground level of the house and are stacked." So they extend above the grade? And what do you mean by the "boxwoods are raised."? They are planted in earth, above grade, retained by a structure? If possible, show a photo positioned so as to well explain these features.

The elevation where the sidewalk meet the steps looks considerably lower than the grade of the foundation plantings.

How many inches difference is there between bottom of windows and top of porch floor. (Follow line of brick from window to the porch in order to find out.)

The house says "city" but the stones say "country." They need to be a lot more organized and tidy if they're going to be in the same league as the house.

The mobile home steps and the approach to them look way undersized for this two-story home. They bring the house down to a lower status. I'd seriously consider reworking them.

I'd remove the stones. I especially don't like them in front of the stoop.

I agree with correcting the size of your steps. Home is stately and strong. Undersized step takes away from its presence. Are the stones doing anything structural? If not think about removing they do not match the style of your home.

Thank you so much. The stones are just decorative. Do you think it would help in addition to revamping the landscape, to redo the portico? Or is that an unnecessary expense?

Portico is fine.

Agree - the portico is good, but as others have said, the 3 steps leading up to it are wrong for the grandness of the house.

I would start with fixing the 3 steps. Personally, I would remove all of the rocks that are in front of the beds - they give the landscaping a bit of a casual look that doesn't match the grandness of the house. Lastly, submit additional pictures as described above to give people an idea of how your house fits into the surroundings.

The 3 steps should be at least as wide as the width between the columns, or as wide as the width including the columns. Google portico and look for pleasing examples. As an example:

Mina, a couple of days ago I asked for more pictures. You stopped by but didn't add pictures or say you would, nor did you answer my additional questions. Not saying you want or must have my feedback, but letting you know that my giving it is dependent on these things.

@yardvaark so sorry, I have been out of town and was meaning to send the pictures today when I get back... sorry for the delay... In terms of the rocks, they are not structural and are just stacked on one another as decoration. I will most likely remove those... Thanks everyone for that advice. The stairs, as suggested too, need to be elongated as well. As for the hedges (i.e boxwoods) do you think I should keep them (obviously after I trim them evenly)? You will have a better idea once I more pictures later today. Thanks again for all the advice... This is so so helpful!

I think the problem with the rocks is they can get weedy and they don't really "go" with your formal style house. Not necessary and there are easier ways to edge a foundation planting.

No apologies needed. It's your schedule. I only asked because you made an appearance but said nothing about it.

In addition to the amazingly generous help that Yardvaark will offer, check out deborahsilver.com. She is a landscape designer in the Detroit area and has a wonderful blog. She is extremely generous with information and expertise, just like Yardvaark. You can get a great deal of informatin on plants that do well in your area.

Thank you so much @marshaaa! I will check out her website now!

"Dirt Simple" = Awesome blog!

One of the things that Deborah Silver does to give back to the city is organize a garden tour in the summer to help support "The Greening of Detroit" a nonprofit which hires young folks who need jobs to plant trees around the city. In addition to reading the blog, you might find it useful to go on the tour to visit the gardens to get ideas. She will mention it on the blog before it happens if past years are any indication.