It depends on your goals. Do you want privacy? Shade? Entertaining space? A play area? A water feature? A grand entrance? Your home is beautiful. It might be worth investing in a professional landscape plan -- it's not as expensive as you might imagine. Be sure to consider irrigation and soil condition before you invest too much. With a long term plan in place you can make it happen as time and money allows. My inclination is to start with hardscape (pathways, patios, etc.) and TREES!!! Hopefully a pro will respond here with some practical suggestions.

Thanks so much for your advice. I have irrigation in place . I’m looking for a grand entrance- with trees, shrubs and pops of color. I’m just not familiar with the

particular greeneries.

Since we have no clue where on the planet you might be located it is difficult to make any plant suggestions. What grows well in one area may not in another. And a "grand entrance" and with no idea of what sort of plants you like or have knowledge about or would fit your locale calls out for professional design input, as einportlandor mentions. Hire a designer.

btw, an irrigation system that will properly address anything other than a lawn needs a design and planting plan in place before it can be executed, not after the fact!

Even knowing the zone a geographical location is still needed. The zone only tells us about minimum winter averages. It says nothing about summer temps or precipitation.

Well that's a pretty broad question. We need specifics. What do you want to use the yard for? How much time do you want to spend tending to your landscaping? Do you want flowers? Evergreens? Ground cover? Trees? What's your budget?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardino_all%27italiana

https://www.planetware.com/italy/most-beautiful-gardens-in-italy-i-1-2.htm

http://hatleycastle.com/italian-garden/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01061xg/episodes/guide

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1709/blue-arrow-juniper/

http://www.sheridannurseries.com/plant_product_view?TR0018

https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/a26136825/boxwood-shrubs/

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1528/sky-pencil-japanese-holly/

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1101/upright-japanese-yew/

http://plants.connon.ca/11100004/Plant/292/Serbian_Spruce

https://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/296

https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2043/columnar-english-oak/

http://plants.connon.ca/11100004/Plant/7130/Limelight_Hydrangea_(tree_form)

http://www.sheridannurseries.com/plant_product_view?TR0135

http://www.sheridannurseries.com/plant_product_view?TR0116

https://plants.connon.ca/11100004/Plant/1314/Purple_Robe_Locust

Changes to your sprinkler system to reflect the lawn and plants is going to be a real time consumer. Doing the various tasks in correct order goes a long way to having a successful garden while not spending time and money backtracking.

This is not a DIY type project.

You need the assistance of a landscape architect to at least develop the master plan for your acreage. You need trees, shrubs, flowering bushes, ground covers and landscape lighting. Likely the sprinkler will all have to be adjusted after the landscaping is installed, and you're talking about $$$ for this size project. Of course, you can phase it and install as funds permit, but you still need to know what to plant first.

Your house is pretty formal in style, the location looks rural, so those two elements need to be addressed in your design. The more formal the design, the more work long-term to keep it looking good.

ooo you have a lot of great space to work with! This blog has a lot of great ideas for yard designs: Green Blog

The house sort of floats in a sea of nothingness, doesn't it? I can envision a variety of trees, including some native to your area, planted in the grass areas beyond the curved path/drive and along the sides of the lot. Mixed beds with shrubs, perennials, and grasses could be limited to the areas on either side of the front door. This would draw attention to the door and also limit the amount of maintenance.

If you can, request plans laying out a "vision" for the whole yard from two different landscapers in your area. It's really fun to see different approaches. Sometimes designers are tempted to over-plant for instant effect with a LOT of shrubs, trees, perennials, grasses, etc. Don't let them. It pays to be patient so trees and shrubs can mature to their intended size without being smooshed together. Tackling the job in phases can make it more manageable: start with the hardscaping and general bed layouts and new trees. Beyond what is necessary for people to find their way to your door, landscape lighting makes no sense to me, but I'm probably in a minority and will take some heat for this.

Thank you all for your time and great advice. I should hv mentioned I am focusing only on the sides of the front door for now. I am in the Houston , TX area ( geographical zone 9 - I believe). I was originally thinking some boxwood shrubs with some accent plants through-out. Thanks again for your help!

Have you tried playing around with any free (or inexpensive) online landscape design apps that let you load a picture of your home? You've essentially got a blank slate, so the apps might work well. You could try out different design concepts without getting your hands dirty. Still, it's hard to overstate the value of requesting a professional design consultation. In my area, there's usually little or no cost or commitment to the initial consultation/plan.

Now is the time to get a few trees planted in the backyard. You have no backdrop fo this house. Trees take years to be large enough to have an effect.

I was originally thinking some boxwood shrubs with some accent plants through-out. Thanks again for your help!

Nowhere NEAR adequate for that house. You need trees, appropriate shrubs, a full vision for setting the house into the grounds. Hire a good landscape architect.

This is looking at foundation planting only and general organization and arrangement ... not about specific plants. To be sure, you need to additionally address trees for the overall property.

OP, I am in the Houston area as well. Getting a design from a landscape designer is not expensive, was quoted $500 a few years ago. You should start there as you have a blank slate. They will also install, or you can do your own.

Just a couple of clarifications. Landscape architects, unless in a small personal practice, often are not involved in residential landscape design. Rather, their degree of training and resulting certification and licensing typically involves larger commercial or municipal land use and landscaping projects. Landscape or garden designers tend to be most associated with residential projects and at a lower cost.....but are often harder to assess as to training and qualifications. This is why you should always ask to see a portfolio of built work or get recommendations from satisfied clients.

I would also add that design consultations here always come at a price.....few pros will give their time away for free :-) And I'd be very skeptical of those who do. Same thing with asking for "visions" - conceptual designs also take time and effort and good designers do not just toss them out without compensation.

But the cost is not excessive and is well worth the investment in terms of eliminating costly trial and error and poor plant selection and placement.

Even if you tackle it yourself, your house has a large scale formal feel, so it,d be worth it to plan ahead for something appropriate. It might be nice to hide all of those cars too.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/558235316294118891/

Ha. Yes we will as soon as we complete the garage project

If you are adjusting details, I'd address the windows on this house. I can't imagine how hard it must be to decide on interior window treatments with those eyebrow arch mini transoms.

Look at what your local nursery stores have, what plants in your area. I would go with shrubs.

Or

I'm no landscape designer, but when I look at your beautiful home I see two things. First, large trees behind and beside the house, which will anchor it and provide a sense of place. Second a grand water feature in the middle of the lawn. It would have to be really big and kinda over-the-top to be noticeable, but if you want to make a statement, consider that. Or maybe even a pond with a fabulous fountain in the middle! Think big!

JWilliams... don't post links.(unless they require reading) Post the actual pictures. Click on the actual picture, copy it, and paste it here in comments. no one wants to click on 10 different links you have posted. I've noticed you doing this on other posts so I'd thought I'd help you out and mention it. f

or instance, in your last link, it just takes you to the Pinterest page. nothing in specific.

As for your link to the 'gardens in Italy", seriously?

no offense, but at least make the pictures germane to what normal people can actually do w/their yard.

Thank you

Just like anything that currently exists, it was probably based on previous iterations and so on and so on thru time. How are classic, formal, European gardens germane to the current gardening and home styles? How are they germane to a home with a massive pair of columns at the entry way with a circular drive and two “wings” of equal length to each side? Is there a “Texas“ architecture? I dunno.

Beth: I am an artist and a gardener, maybe my approach to gathering info and sharing ideas is not your way. So who the hexx are you to put your judgement on me?? Do you even know that a lot of European formal gardening styles came from Italy? Along with column and plinth style architecture? Do you remember the whole Tuscan trend, and the Provence look, they did not come out of a vacuum,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column

JWillimas i love the Italian gardens. What I was saying is that in that particular link, they were very grandiose. This is not 'germane' to the average homeowner, even if they do have columns in front of their homes!

someone who doesn't have any vision or any idea on garden design is going to look at those in complete bewilderment. My point was, make it germane to the normal homeowner looking for some curb appeal. no need to get your drawers in knot, I was polite when I said it. There was absolutely no judgement on you.

Now, in comparison, look at DigDougs rendition. This is relevant and something the homeowner can actually relate to. Not the Tivoli Gardens. I get where you're coming from, but the execution from your end is lacking. Make it applicable for them, not you. Doug took design elements from those grandiose gardens in your links, and showed the home owner how to apply them to suit their yard. Much better, yes?

but thanks for posting actual pictures instead of links. I don't need wikipedia links for columns, mkay?

A formal landscape generally requires a lot more maintenance than a well designed informal landscape. A formal landscape that size would require a full time crew like they have at Versailles. I don't think you want that. Go informal and have it designed for you by a qualified pro with solid references..

No a formal garden does not require more maintenance than an informal garden, that is a fallacy. Of course, an acre of boxwood parterres would be a heck of a lot of work. Or a mansion sized Edward scissorhands style topiary garden, a huge investment in time. But the arrangement of formal vs informal has very little to do with it other than aesthetics. A naturaliziing garden is a lot of work, ironically, a natural looking garden can also require, ironically, a ton of maintenance to achieve a good balance, esp in very limited locations like a green roof for ex.. A garden that needs less maintenance is one that is perfectly suited to the site as regards plant choices and planting, and is just the right level of upkeep for the home owner.

Here is an example with maybe 3 plants. A standard shrub or small tree, a low shrubby perennial and some boxwood balls it looks like. There might be something else there.

https://www.gardenia.net/garden/a-lovely-Mediterranean-path

I could not not copy the pic.

I stand by what I said about formal landscapes being more maintenance than well designed informal landscapes. Formal landscapes are about matched pairs and straight lines of the same plant. What if one dies or is less robust than it's mates? The eye goes to the different one, thus exposing the vulnerability of formal landscapes. Shearing is part of a formal landscape. Shearing demands cleanup and disposal. Formal landscapes are for the tidy gardener. That means almost constant maintenance.