I would transfer the plants. They are healthy and large enough to probably survive a transplant if you don't cut too much of the root system and keep a nice size root ball. I would move the palm and hedge from the middle of the picture to the left to sort of "frame" the yard. That would leave the middle of the view open for lower and airy florida plants. If you can't move them it's pretty cheap to have a local nursery do it for you. You just don't want all the weight in the middle. Don't forget to add some color. I might also move the two hedges that are on either side of the sidewalk to maybe next to the mailbox or maybe there is a place for them in the back yard. I would paint the panel above the window the same color as the garage. Another idea is to add some natural looking stone surfacing in this area and near the front door or garage. I can't really see the front door and garage area as well in the picture. If you do that then it would be great to see a mulch in the plant area that pulls a color from the surfacing stone on your walls. Keep to color that compliments the colors of the house and stay away from burning black or weird orange for mulch.

Late... oh well. A1 - Does it "flow," does it look balanced, is it inviting, does it have curves or angles, is the Feng Shui good or lousy. A2 - Healthy plants and trees that "frame" the scene, not block it. A3 - Sick and dead plants, peeling paint, clutter. A4 - Shade it and frame it with flowers... to make an "entrancing" entrance. A5 - Very little. Elegance fits in everywhere. A6 - Natural rocks and stones... drought-tolerant yet lush and flowering plants. A7 - Plan for "color" in every season. If in a snow zone... plant evergreens. A8 - Flowers (and complimentary paint.) A9 - Add a front yard pond. A10 - Improved the Feng Shui.

These are often seen with colours in the beige to salamander range on walls, so how about a lemon yellow or peach for a different take? The awning is probably needed, but you might look at a fabric option to freshen, as well as an arbor over the garage, and toning down the colour of the driveway. Window trim will just barely show in any colour( they played up just the picture window in the photo below, and painted out the rest, which might also look well on your house if you matched your awning colour to your picture window trim) - and a clay brown shade on the trellised area and flower bed wall will help keep attention on the plant material. Paint out the garage. You could also use some additional lighting for the garage and the planting beds ( consider widening the curve of the latter).

Here are updates. Not great I know but as I said in the earlier post, I'm working on mom to persuade her. She's very resistant to change but I do hope to implement more changes. Meanwhile my well-intentioned attempts at gardening are still very shaggy. Here are the main questions at this point: 1 ) Despite the mom factor, I'm still always open to new suggestions that will improve the place. 2) What can make the garden more orderly and less shaggy? 3) What can I do to create a foundational border at the bottom of the shed, behind the boxwoods? Something that can be trimmed so that the top is straight even though the ground itself is sloped (both ways)? That will create a nice backdrop for the boxwoods and not clash? The boxwoods so small and I dont think they are going to get much larger. - Raised brick bed -The ground is sloped downward for rain drainage so it won't hold a raised brick bed. - Siding -We cannot afford to do any kind of siding right now and I don't know that we could find any that would match the brick on the other wall over to the right. - Climbing plant on a horizontal trellis spanning the length of the house -The plant behind the boxwoods is actually a climbing rose, but the wall is in shade at least half the day and it is not enough light for a rose. (FWIW we are in north central FL). It also doesn't look good because the green of the is darker than the boxwoods.. Might work for another plant. - shrubs or grasses? Although they might look funny behind the boxwoods? - Tall flowers? Except you could see the white between them. - plant pots? - the ground slopes. Other notes - The hanging vinca (what's left of it) gets full sun (so much it killed the petunias). I am thinking of pulling out the Majesty Palm in the corner and getting a yucca and creating a better corner. We will be getting more rocks to fill the spaces in and getting rid of the white river rocks and black spaces very soon. The sad vinca in the birdbath is in shock, only transplanted two days ago. The small hook actually had herbs in it, but they are looking rough so I'm planning to replant. There used to be flowers hanging from that hook. The last picture has the petunias that died when it got too hot out. The plant by the door (mums), the lily, and a few other things look shaggy because we were having mealy bug problems but I just gave them some insecticidal soap and some bayer systemic so hopefully they will come back. The plan for the large palm in the middle is to grow it upward, trim the bottom, and create a rock circle around it with some other plants and elements. May be a few years until it grows though. The heat killed these petunias =(