I would put in curving flower beds on either side of the walk leading to house then wrapping around either side of house. You want to make your entry feel welcoming. I would do a mix of flowering shrubs and perennials to bring color to the yard. Low maintenance but big impact.

Great saltbox! Nice red. Is this New England? Give your USDA Hardiness Zone so we can recommend what won't perish in your climate. Here in TX, learned that lesson the hard way. Visit local nurseries. See what's available that you like. Ask them what grows dependably. Will you continually re-plant annuals (they survive one season) or get perennials (return/re-seed each year)? Educate yourself. At a well-stocked new or used bookstore, or Amazon, find gardening books for your USDA zone. Here in Dallas-Ft.Worth, I own "Perennial Gardens for Texas" and "Plants for the Metroplex" - especially for our DFW area. Also, find books showing historic landscape designs. I own about 5 gardening books (many from used bookstores). Indispensable. Saltboxes were simpler, country style homes, so your landscape should reflect that architecture. Think weathered gray wood, rustic stone hardscapes & naturalized-looking, meandering flowerbeds. If you plant trees, be sure their mature sizes soften the house's corners & won't block the home's street view like big misplaced stop signs. To balance your street tree, maybe a flowering dogwood approx. 15ft in front of the opposite (right) edge of your home. A weathered gray wood settee in the left yard. Googled images for "historic saltbox garden" and found this link:
http://www.angel-limos-ct.com/2010/10/this-coastal-fairfield-region.html
Good Luck - enjoy!

Do you need ideas for paint ?

On second thought, I'd put the settee under the dogwood.

I would take off the wreath on the front door and the other thing (can't see what it is) to the right of the door. I would work on a flagstone walkway. I would use all white hydrangea's along the front of the house.

Thanks! Yes, this is in Connecticut, and the front gets full sun so the local nursery person told me to avoid hydrangeas for the front because they would fry quickly... though i do have the left side now lined with "Blushing Bride" hydrangeas which I think will be beautiful. The white thing on the front is the marker that was here when I bought the house. It was customized to the shape of the house with the original name and date, so I haven't had the heart to even touch it.

I included an updated picture with the plants that were planted last spring, one died and they are still so small so I am not married to them - they are chinoides rhododendrons . But I think that there can be a lot of filling in even if they stayed.

aaaw, I now can see what it is and would leave it too!

You aren't going to like me for saying this, but I love your style of home with no foundation plantings and certainly no mulch and serpentine edging. Would love to see a fence.

Too bad about the Hydrageas, OK what ever that is native to your area in white.

PLEASE DO NOT KEEP TWO POSTS OPEN.

Is there a reason why I can't address multiple topics on this site?

No, you're fine, they are two completely different topics and will be easier to keep separate on different posts.

I think judyg's cat was lying on her left arm, hence the all caps...she mentioned it in another post.

I need to talk with cat owners as to the behavior of their pets. This cutie never leaves me alone. Am I her mother or is she mine?

I have no comments about cats but I can comment on the house. I love the red. It gives the home tons of character. I do think the trim around the w indows and the door need to be repainted a different color. Normally I'd recommend black but then you wouldn't see the wonderful door hinges. Dark green would pop but might look too Christmasy. Dark grey would look great but wouldn't look period.

This historic red saltbox house would be good inspiration. http://mass.historicbuildingsct.com/?p=560

I like this one's landscaping. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_A-vYe_XOCv0/StpyJNaYf8I/AAAAAAAAAhE/yMDnZhILBEU/s1600/House2Front09.jpg

Great house! I'm with judyg, gotta have a white fence out front to define the "threshold" from public to private. Also, I know you are not in a "historic" district, but the home is historic! If it was my pride and joy, my landscaping (and fence) would draw inspiration from the classic images posted! This IS a clean slate, finishing with just the right amount of embellishment will be the trick. Knowing when to say "enough" is often much harder than adding more stuff! Good luck, this would be fun to see an "after" post!!

This is very close to same tint as my red house. I have almond/ beige windows,(vinyl and aluminum clad). Trim color for soffit, corners, fascia, is where I'm looking for advice. Oh, and color advice for new metal roof as well please?

This is very close to same tint as my red house. I have almond/ beige windows,(vinyl and aluminum clad). Trim color for soffit, corners, fascia, is where I'm looking for advice. Oh, and color advice for new metal roof as well please? Thanks, Erik

Foundation plantings do not go with your style house. Do corner plantings only. You have a great house and it's too bad it's not protected by the historic district. If you can't respect what you have, you can always build a new house someplace else. Beware of builders and architects who tell you differently. You are a steward of a historic home - future owners will scrutinize everything you do. Don't welcome bad karma and try to make your house into something it was never meant to be.http://www.oldhouseguy.com/

Hi, I know this is an old post but do you mind sharing the red paint color? Iy looks similar to BM Cottage Red. Thank you.

Hi @imani1 this is BM Cottage Red :)