Hi Monica, you have a beautiful home! It would help Houzzers if you could share your zone and tolerance for upkeep. Also how many hours of full sun are we looking at?

Thank you Stacey! Our home is in hardiness zone 10a and 10b. Low maintenance is my preference but not desert look. The front of the house faces slightly southwest and gets direct sunlight starting about noon. Hope this helps.

Wow! What a little green can do. Thanks Yardvaark! My thought for the steps was for them to go from sidewalk to entrance (maybe alternating) rather than starting at driveway. Would that also work?

If we remove the palms, I would like to plant a tree and add up lighting. Any suggestions for type of tree and placement? Also would a privacy gate look good by the alcove leading to the front door?

Also looking for low water landscape and drought tolerant plants.

"My thought for the steps was.... Would that also work?" Show it in a simple plan so we can see what you mean.

In the drawing are shown placeholder for plants. They are suggestions of size, form, placement, arrangement general organization .... not actual plants. People don't know where you live so it'd be hard to suggest plants.

Remove all of the palms?

You''re facing south in a scorching climate. Don't increase yo. ur concrete heat island and do add shade trees. What are the nicest large trees you find growing in your area?

ideas:

Yes we would consider removing all palms. Good idea or no?

When we bought house they already looked yellow and dry. Not sure if we can get them to be lush green?

I’m off to do my homework for trees that grow in my area. Google search turns up Jaranda but too messy for me.

I like the look of crepe myrtle. Does anyone know about their root system? Is it non-invasive?

Thanks Dig Doug for the visual. Definitely helps!

Something like this for the alternating steps

The house has a lot of traditional elements, not ultra modern. The offset steps does not seem a match, or compatible, to me.

A good tree location would be off of the front, outside corners at a diagonal. If where the palms are were moved farther rights would work. A crape myrtle is not a large tree so would not have problem roots.

I’m not sure i understand the tree placement. Can you include a visual in the picture or is it like Dig Doug’s idea?