I'd leave the path open to view and concentrate on improving the lawn.

You also need to plant at least one shade tree in front of the house to soften its visual impact. Where in front of the house would work best needs to be based on a view of the entire façade. It might be that planting one off to the side, to grow across in front of one side of the façade would be the way to go.

Thanks for your feedback. There is a shade tree growing between the 2 houses on the left side of the stairs. Do you think i should plant another tree somewhere else in the front of the lawn?

I suspect you need to widen your driveway or outline it on that worn side to keep the traffic and/or erosion from killing the grass. You could have a "sidewalk" poured but stamp it with a brick pattern to have it look like a sidewalk but still be strong enough to support a vehicle without looking like the driveway was created piecemeal.

https://nolanandsonsconcrete.com/stamped-concrete/

You could even make the "sidewalk" part of the driveway a different color.

Naturally this is an inspiration pic rather than a photoshop of your place.

Don't plant in front of your walkway - like a barricade of bushes but do landscape so that the two properties coordinate rather than duplicate or mirror - something like the pic below.

You need a professional plan and hopefully your neighbor will cooperate and coordinate with you to get a professional landscape and hardscape plan.

My opinion is your walkway needs to be widened and come further down the driveway so it has a more welcoming appeal. If you are situated the way that these two properties are below, it would be a great thing to bring the walkway all the way to the sidewalk as shown.

A|K Design&Development , Infill project Killarney, Calgary · More Info

My thoughts are to add wide decorative trim in white to outline the front door and make it pop, along with bigger, statement lighting to either side of the front door, also- some special trim to the arch on the front of the house - whatever matches the style of the rest of the house. I think matching boxwoods in front of the walking path would look nice, but would close off the entry as someone else said. Gray blue bricks or stamped concrete as someone else said lining the driveway would be great. Also - adding some built in under porch lighting would brighten up the covered porch area, as would some Arborvitaes or other ever green in urns on either side of the front door. Good luck with your projects and let us know how they turn out!

A full view like Denita posted is still needed before the entire setting can be commented on usefully.

You didn't say where your house is located so these plants may not apply.

First, it looks like you have sandy soil and that your house is up a slight incline. If that's the case you will need plants that can tolerate dry soils and you will have to water and fertilize your grass a little more. I would spread a 1/2" of compost on your lawn both in the fall and spring. This will eventually help your soil retain more moisture and improve its fertility. Overseed and fertilize in the late summer/ fall. You could renovate your lawn entirely (kill it, remove grass debris, add compost and till, then reseed) You would do this in the fall. It's a fair amount of work and your grass doesn't look too bad so I would go with the first gradual solution.

You definitely need color in your landscape. I've done two quick images to show some possibilities. In the first, I have replaced your boxwoods with dwarf Nandinas, possibly Gulf Stream. A large number of boxwoods are being decimated by boxwood blight, a fungal disease.

If yours are killed, Nandina may be a really good alternative. They are a lighter green and turn red in the winter, so you have year-round interest. I have placed a landscape rose on the other side of the staircase. If you begin to have a lot of shade here you'll have to choose something else. There are a number of newish landscape roses that really aren't susceptible to the old rose diseases and they bloom all summer. Knockout Roses are my first choice.

I think a bed of low perennials on the side of the walk would really help add interest.

In the first image, I've used Aurinia saxatilis, a low, evergreen, with yellow flowers. Gaillardia' Gallo Peach' and a low catmint like Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'.

The second image has groundcover Drift Roses next to the walk and a full-sized Nandina domestica on the other side of the steps. It will grow in the shade as well as sun.

All of these plants should be easy to grow but you will need to water and fertilize especially in dry sandy soil

Please don't forget to have some pots with annual flowers.

Good luck!

I would make more inviting landing

Or widen driveway

I would advice to plant nothing in front of the steps/walk or along the driveway. They are like barricades that pen in the paved areas or obstruct the view to the entrance path. If anything widen the landing. You could use annual color flanking the steps. It would cheer up the arrival experience.

Yep

I wouldn't block the view of the path. In fact, you could widen that path so it is more of a landing. What is planted in front of the porch?

Thank you all for your advice. Right now there is boxwood with hostas in front of it and an evergreen tree next to them. On the other side of the stairs (between me and my neighbor) is a shade tree (I dont know what type as I didnt plant it).

You can find out the type of tree by downloading the PlantSnap app and taking a pic of the leaves. It will probably be able to tell you. Or post the tree and leaves and your area (nearest large city) so that those in the landscape forum here on Houzz can ID it. There are many talented people on that forum

The appropriate Garden Web forum is Name That Plant.

Thank you Embothrium for the information.