More pics

The porch looks great! Will you be keeping the driveway where it is?

I think so but it's not out of the question to change it..

Would you like a picture from the road to get a better idea of space?

And the porch u saw is to the left sorry I should have stood back more!

Do you want people to be drawn to front or side entrance? And yes to picture from street, be careful!

A better view.

Nice porch! Now is the time to enjoy it, yes?

I think you would like your garden better if you defined the edge more and added some mulch. Even an empty bed looks better that way. Does the porch side get much sun? I ask because what you have planted there needs sun. The plant near the stairs looks like a small alberta spruce that has lost some of its green. I have been told, and it appears to be the case, that once it is gone, it won't grow back. Just as well because that plant will get too big for where you have it. I think some hydrangeas planted in between the other bushes you have their in front of the porch would be nice and add some color. What kind you choose will depend on the sun you get there of course. You could use daylilies if you are looking for something very low maintence as well. Stella doro lilies rebloom all season if you keep deadheading them.

The porch gets a lot of afternoon sun. I have two hostas planted there and in the middle is a climbing rose bush.. As far as mulch we had planned to do crushed stone.. What are your thoughts on that?

I personally don't like it because it doesn't look "natural" to me, but it is a personal choice. The rose bush will look lovely trained up onto the edge of the porch someday. Here are some other reliable sun type flowers that are perennial: Peonies, echinacea, lavendar, irises, perennial salvia. They will come back every year and get larger over time.

I think the crushed stone will get too hot and dry out/kill plants. Most hostas like shade, but some are sun tolerant, hopefully yours likes the sunshine. Did you want people to enter from front or side? I guess it would also matter what's inside either door. If you want the big porch side to be main attraction, you'll need to mask the side entrance a bit so it isn't so prominent. Perhaps a taller arborvitae or two and some smaller shrubs next to them. Also some quick growing tall grasses might be nice here and there around porch, only problem is they need to be divided a lot. I know, mine are enormous!! They look nice even in winter with the seeds on top and turn. Lovely wheat color. In late, late winter or early, early spring, wrap them in some twine or a bungee and use a hedge trimmer or mini chainsaw and cut close to ground. They will grow back very quickly. Consider bulbs to plant in fall, you can get bushels of spring flowers for no too much money and they will multiply themselves over the years. Just don't plant in soldier rows. Dig nice size holes and put in lots of bulbs in clumps of single colors and then do that with each kind so they will really put on a spring show.

Thank you so much! A trip to the flower shop is in order!

mforr is right. Hostas are wonderful performers if they are planted in the right location. If the ones you have don't do well, move them to a shadier area, and get some for sun. I love hostas, but so do the deer that come into our yard! I have had luck with liquid fence though!

You could use stone to line the edges, and fill in mulch around the flowers and plants that you add- this way you have the stone you like and the mulch helps protect the plants and retain moisture.

The front entrance you see (without the porch done) is actually an In law apartment that my dad lives in for now as he is sick. Here is a picture if the entrances we both use )which are actually in the back of the house.. We have separate entrances mine is at the top of that porch. We just had the yard logged, excavated and leveled so don't mind the dirt! Or the picnic table in the walk way ha! Had to move it there for the excavator

I think you have a very nice home! What kind of sun does that area get? You may be able to use some of the same plantings there as well. That bush on the end looks a bit dead though... :(

Yeah that bush needs to go! This house needed (and still needs) lots of work but it was a steal and it's come a long way! Thank you so much for your help and compliment:) it means a lot! I love the crush stone along the edges I am going to do that!

Keep us posted, we love to see progress! :)

Will you put in walkway with border to front porch? To lead the eye right to it?

I'd love to! The pavement is all bubbled and needs to be brought up. My husband wants to put in a stone path!

Ill keep you posted! Hoping to get to the flower shop today!

You might consider some irregular shaped slate on back concrete pad at back door, would look very pretty and natural and the urns, when filled with beautiful flowers, will look great on it! :)

That would be lovely. You could plant along the edges someday.

Slate for front walk too!!

Oh Mforr I love that idea!!

You are making me jealous now! lol!

I would recommend hydrangeas (if they thrive in your planting zone )in front of the decking and have steps risers added to the deck/porch stairs. I assume stair railings will be added?

You might also want to consider lattice deck skirting, but eventually the plants will cover that open area under deck.

Yeah we plan to get lattice and the porch isn't quite done. He's still working on it:) I love hydrangeas I will definitely get some!! Thank you!

Endless summer variety of hydrangeas are spectacular in part shade. The bloom on old and new wood and bloom all summer!

Love those, handymam!! If you are thinking of adding any small trees, consider crape myrtle, kousa dogwood and crabapple. Depending on where you live. Here's a pic where you can see some of my kousa which has been here for a very long time, well before I lived here, so it's pretty big, but very light and lacy. It has a really long bloom time and funny little raspberry fruit in fall.

Fruit is not edible!! Just thought I'd add that

Pretty! I'm in New Hampshire:)

Wow, mforr, I didn't realize that was YOUR home when you posted that pic elsewhere! Now I am jealous of that stone wall as well!

I love crabapple trees so beautiful!

I'm very lucky, this is a beautiful piece of property, thanks handymam. Cassithomas5 you could probably grow all, but not sure about crape myrtle. Maybe not that one.

Gorgeous!

Love that!!

They are not fast growers, that one is about 15 years old, but they are so beautiful and bloom later than the normal dogwood.

As you can see they have a wide growing habit, so consider that when planting one.

Beautiful Judy!

I love, love, love plants, trees and flowers!

I could stay outside all day gardening and be perfectly happy in my yard if I had nothing else to do. Curse you life that must go on though, lol.

I could do more of that too, if I could tear myself off this computer!! :)