Do you have a budget range in mind or are you at the collecting ideas stage?

The most immediate impact would come from removing the tall shrub at the front entrance.

A new concrete walkway would be easier to shovel snow off than flagstone.

Blue shutters and off-white or brown painted windowboxes would be lovely.

Definitely replace the red mulch and stone borders with something more natural looking.

I'm still collecting ideas. I'm not too particular about the budget, as we plan on being here long-term and don't mind taking our time / doing work in stages over the years. I don't plan on doing one big overhaul all at once.

the little round pebbly stones used as surround on tree and lining rockway are distractingly too small, too round, too regularly spaced and conflict with your house's stone facade. They all have to go. Redwood mulch is ok w/me because it looses color eventually. For Walkway....if you like flagstone, use it. It won't really show from curb.... I happen to like a walkway that has grass growing in the cracks. For foundation plantings i'd go with a low growing evergreen that is not a blue-tone (as someday you'll probably change trim colorrs and they won't look good. I'd go with a solid low, flatly-clipped hedge (solid line....it'll take about three years to get there though) closest to the house, then two more layers of lower lying plantings. So three layers. Forward being annuals/perennials. Existing huge shrub by door needs to go, of course. Another Evergree of complimentary shape to hedge should work.

I'm not loving the white trim. When you do your blue shutters, and the window boxes you'll probably wish to paint them a darker color.

From a landscape design viewpoint, the walkway needs to be removed and replaced with something much wider and smoother. I consider 5' a minimum width but it should be able to accommodate two people walking side by side comfortably. And if you want anything other than a groundcover or annuals in that bed along the side of the house - it is far too narrow for any layering to be going on - then I'd consider reconfiguring the walkway placement to allow for enlarging. Also the walkway needs to be emphasized via layout and complimentary plantings to call out where the entry is located. The entry and how to access it should be clearly visible from the street or drive. And nothing large by the porch/stoop to hide the entry, so the conifer must go.

FWIW, it would be rather unusual to find redwood mulch in WI. What we are most likely seeing is dyed mulch and the color will not fade or change. Replace with a natural colored dark brown or black mulch where appropriate so it will blend in, not stick out.

What are your thoughts on removing or pruning the porch shrub?

This winter, you could add a simple planter with changeable cut greens. The arrangement in this one is very attractive.

If the ground has not frozen yet, you could add a couple bags of $30 -for-75 daffodil bulbs to the front walkway bed.

We like the privacy the porch shrub provides, but I like what Dig Doug's designs suggested - a shorter shrub.

For both security reasons as well as street visibility, privacy on a front porch should not be an overriding concern. A much shorter shrub and not planted smack up against the porch might be suitable.

btw, that is not a shrub but a tree and with the likelihood of growing much taller and wider. It is completely improperly sited!!

That is a shrub...it is a Dwarf Cypress that grows to 5-6 ft.

Don't know much about horticulture, but whatever that green thing growing by the door may be, it ain't no dwarf. Well beyond 5or 6 feet. Agree, it should find another home.

On closer inspection, looks like two green things growing there.

I think people are at cross purposes. GG48 is referring to the existing tree (and shrub) beside the porch. Dig Doug is talking about the shrub in his mock up.

flopsy you are correct, it ain't no dwarf and is already over 6' tall!! The plant in question hiding the porch looks like an arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis, not a cypress (Chamaecyparis). And the only difference between a dwarf conifer and a full sized species tree is rate of growth. These will never stop growing until they die and eventually even dwarfs will get to be a significant size.

Dig Doug, we are referring to the existing conifer, not your mock up plant, which could be anything of an appropriate size :-)

Dig Doug’s shutters, properly sized, would be adorable on your house.

A good winter project when the ground is clear of snow is removal of all the shrubbery, red mulch, rocks and then, the walk in the spring. Once you redo the beds, cypress mulch is the very best, IMO. Looks great, degrades slowly and repels bugs. It will look good with your stone too. Don't do window boxes unless you're a devoted caretaker for the plants in them. A more carefree English garden might suit you. And how about a patio? Here's some inspiration for you.

No reason to remove the red mulch! Just put more on top. Even red mulch rots.

Love the shutter and window box ideas and all of dig dougs plan. I am in michigan and I love my window boxes. I plant them in late May. Then late fall when the plants die I compost the soil (you can save it if you want) and for christmas I fill them with greens. Mine sit on brackets so when they do not have anything planted in them I flip them upside down so they don't collect water or leaves. I think if I were you I would paint the boxes blue like the shutters so they won't look dirty as quickly.

For people to understand your yard, you need to show the entire scene of the front yard. Stand with the camera where you can see the front door and then begin taking overlapping pictures at the far left, panning to the far right so that everything is included. In order to focus on foundation planting, be close enough that not a lot of sky shows above the house roof, and about 15'-20' of ground space in front of the house. Show beyond the left and right into the neighboring properties. You're trying to show a complete scene. Also, back up with the camera and take a single picture that shows all the fore portions of the front yard, including street trees.