Handymam, that is pine mulch,which was laid by the previous owner to cut down on lawn maintenance. I would like to replace a large portion of the pine straw with grass, especially the portion in front of the sidewalk. Love the plant suggestions given here. Before reading all your suggestions, I was going to go with simple, dense bushes that would line the front exterior of the house, but I'll definitely consult a landscape designer to see what type of perennials would thrive my yard. Decoenthusiaste, I love the idea of having a varied planting scheme. It would provide some much needed color and interest to the front of the house. Thank you! I have a side shot of the home that I did not share initially (bc it is horrifying) but it shows how far down the side bed extends. When I start my interior renovation, the wall will be replaced, but as you can see, I have a lot of flower beds to fill!

That picture helps. I would also add a little cover for the front door, to make it more welcoming and look more like the front entrance, something like below. Maybe add a nice craftman light to hang under the cover or on house to right of door. A cool copper mailbox would be charming too, with a nice large cermaic pot to the left of the door. https://www.houzz.com/photos/1940s-colonial-revival-remodel-exterior-traditional-exterior-minneapolis-phvw-vp~978763 As for plants, hydrangeas, hostas, astilbes, Japanese maples, Japanese forest grass, ferns (japanese painted ferns are pretty...pictured below) and hellebores are all good shade plant choices. Here's some pics: (hellebores): Here's what the false hinoki cypress (slender) tree looks like (zones 4-8): http://www.europeannursery.com/cpg134/displayimage.php?album=9&pos=18 Looks like a nice retreat you have!

That is an amazing transformation on the house! Great job! Lainie D'Eon has given you some good advice. I am another plant nerd. . . I too am concerned about the narrow bed between the walkway and building. The short evergreen shrub (spruce?) and the taller deciduous shrub (serviceberry? or plum?) are both too wide for the area, both already against the house and starting to overlap the walkway as new plants. While I completely understand your wish to have some color and plant height there you will regret these two as you will have to constantly battle them to keep them from overlapping the walkway and damaging the building. I'd find spots for them elsewhere on your property and rethink this area. (For future walkways or other folks considering redoing front walks, if you want a garden along the house, move the walkway at least 4'-6' from the house to have a reasonably sized planting bed and make the walk a minimum of 4' wide to allow folks to walk side-by-side.) My suggestion would be low ground-cover plants along the house (probably all one kind and of a type that will look good all season such as Veronica 'Georgia Blue') with a few taller narrow features that will fit into the bed without overlapping onto a sidewalk that is already a bit narrow. Tall pots with a combination of tall plants and spillers, probably annual, would work, and the pots can be filled with winter decorations (evergreen, berries, etc) if frost-proof. Alternatively, find a pair of matching, attractive metal trellises and grow vines (smaller clematis, type 3 (hard prune) would be perfect) to add height, and the clematis vines could be cut back after hard freeze to leave the bare trellises for the winter. Annual vines such as scarlet runner beans or Thunbergia (black-eyed Susan vines) might have enough light there and could also be cleared out for the winter to feature the trellis panels. The unthorny, shade tolerant rose Zephirine Drouhin might be good there if you can take the time to tie any loose canes to the trellis as needed (the other vines will cling on their own). Site the trellises with one between the windows and the other at the end of the walk. You might be able to fit one in the corner by the porch, but it may be too wet with the downspout emptying there. Alternatively, rely on hardscape such as a small fountain or birdbath in the bed along with ornaments such as seasonal wreaths, stars, large scale house numbers, etc on the wall of the former garage. If you go for the hardscape, you could widen the walkway on both sides by adding several rows of brick or contrasting color patio block in equal amounts on both sides of the walkway to serve as a functional border that would make the walk more generous as well as more ornamental. Then, regardless of how you deal with the bed on the house side of the the walk, along the side of the walkway away from the house, I would add a double row of bricks or perhaps a row of patio blocks to keep plants off the already narrow walk, and go to town with shrubs and perennials in a wide band that wraps around to the front of the porch, letting some low plants spill onto the edging you have added. Make the bed 6'-8' wide, minimum. Use stepping stones or patio block to create a path through the bed if you exit from the front porch toward the play area. You could even extend the bed all across the front of the house. If you choose not to have straight edges, choose sweeping curves rather than many tight curves which are more difficult to mow and often look contrived. I hate to be a wet blanket, but don't try to plant beds under your trees, which are maples, probably red maples. Maples have many thirsty shallow roots, and virtually no plants will successfully compete with maples that size. I'd give it a mulch layer with a neat edge and seating as you currently have and call it good. I really like the way the trees frame the porch and door from a distance - it looks very welcoming. You plant selections will need to be part shade to shade tolerant since the exposure is NE and the trees and house both provide shade. [Here's a thread that has a fair number of shade tolerant plants for zone 6.[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/need-help-landscaping-my-new-home-dsvw-vd~108167) For the side that used to be the garage door and has the meter on it, can you rake back the gravel and create a semicircle bed there to break up the large wall but that still accommodates the walkways? Some tall shrubs and perennials would do wonders there to reduce the garage look as would a three panel trellis with vines. Would you consider also adding a patio by using gravel to level the area and laying some 2'x2' patio block for a seating area? Even consider a pergola over the area down the road when the budget has recovered? I don't know if that fits your needs, but it would help remove the appearance of the driveway going up to that side of the building and stopping, replacing it with a garden and a destination. Good luck with this. I try to start with an overall plan, but then implement it in pieces since there's only so much energy I have. So I might do dirt work and edging for a garden in the spring and summer, and then plant it in the fall during nursery sales at the end of the season (and when soil is warm but the air is cooling.) I rarely do more than one or two beds a year, but bit by bit I have filled in all the areas I will be planting around my house, and I am almost done with DH's shop down the road and now just tweaking things for my own pleasure and to replace things that haven't done well. I'd love to see plans and photos as your ideas and work progress.

Ok. If any of the redwood was showing wear from snow build up against it, then I maybe could recommend stone. As it is, given the issues you have, my recommendation is to find a local residential / structural designer who has a portfolio of homes which use exterior structures in interesting ways . . these folks came up over and over when I searched solutions for you http://www.houzz.com/pro/dvdspr and also http://www.houzz.com/pro/kellyandstonearchitects Mountain concepts in Truckee . and also Kelly and Stone in Truckee . .. nearby and pros. I would hire them (or someone they recommend or someone I research and think is equal in capacity) to produce a sketch / early design concept and give me a conceptual estimate for three alternative solutions that address two problems at once. First issue - the upper deck and railing must come apart for normal winter conditions. That is unacceptable long term - not a normal maintenance issue. The redwood posts that hold it up are structurally sufficient but appear out of proportion for the façade. Second issue - the façade of my home, where the deck is, is not as attractive and interesting as I would like. I won't be changing windows, though I will be upgrading my landscape. I am open to the use of stone but want to keep the natural redwood siding in most areas. Tell them your dealbreakers - (what cannot change) and the problems but don't spend more time than that - let them be creative for you. Ask, there must be a unique structural solution for the deck and cover and railing and structure that will address both issues at once. I would want them to give me three sketches of possible solutions . .. and report back what a reasonable budget is for the solutions that they propose - one minimal expense, one where budget is no issue and one that he believes is the best value alternative given the value of your home / neighborhood and how long you plan to be in it. There is no cosmetic expense appropriate here until you work out the resolution to the deck in my view - it would be a poor investment. If just putting a cable rail up solves the problem, then voila! you have an expert tell you that. If not, you have some other options. See some of the angled timber trusses on this façade? It seems to me that the right solution for one problem could be applied in ways to address your other concerns ..