The best thing to do for curb appeal is to remove all of those shrubs and put in modern landscape and hardscape.

Get with a professional landscape designer and come up with a landscape plan that includes a nice w-i-d-e walkway (at least 42 inches wide) that goes to your front door. Make sure the new landscaping doesn't block your front door. Go to an actual nursery and not HD or Lowes.

No to shutters. You have big beautiful windows, however, they aren't suited for shutters of any type.

Is this a new home for you? It looks a lot like a flip. If it is, please check your irrigation, if there is any at the house. A lot of flippers don't landscape well at all.

I think you have a real treasure under those overgrown and neglected bushes. Once you come up with the master landscape plan, you can implement over time.

Walkway examples:

Montclair, NJ · More Info

Peter Wodarz, Milieu Design · More Info

Clear out the shrubs and post again for more ideas. Engage a landscape architect to develop a plan you can install over the next few seasons.

Yes to removing all of the shrubs & hire a landscape designer to draw up a plan , you can do it in stages if necessary. Nice house, no shutters. Lots of potential.

Hello Elizabeth, You have a fantastic home, I wouldn't add window boxes/shutters or change the color scheme (unless you want something different). Not sure what zone you are (whether the species of turf is dormant). But the installer did not blend into the existing lawn very well. There may be an issue with the soil beneath as well. It's worth taking a sample and sending to your local university extension center or garden center for testing. While you are at it you can test the plant beds once you have the shrubs removed and the root systems removed. A design professional can give you a front yard design that specifies species that are appropriate to your climate and take into consideration site specific factors. They will also be able to discuss options for the walkway, lighting, and irrigation design.

It looks fantastic! Great job.

I see a dozen shrubs that will someday get very large. This seems excessive, doesn't really coordinate with any architectural features, and probably will ultimately end up making your house seem engulfed (smothered) with vegetation. I would go with a lot less (I'm using 3) and give them some space to become ornaments for the house.

The crape myrtles definitely seem too close to the house. I'd move them a few feet farther away and toward the corners.

Groundcover would fill in the vacant space and annuals/perennials (color) could be near the steps.

Consider painting your porch railing black. It will look more elegant and expected for wrought iron and the darker color will help ground your house too.