Patricia Santarelli- I would suggest a hedge of Murraya to create a short wall around the perimeter except the front where I would plant a row of Agapanthus (remember to leave a gap to walk through, either on the side or the middle of the row. Grass the inside and if you like even plant a tree (not huge, one that will grow tall enough to enable visibility to the outside garden from the inside, and you could even plant some flowers around the tree stump once it grows tall enough. I would plant the tree either in the middle of the grass patch or to the side outside the smaller window, (remember to allow room around the tree to grow. So to recap, Murraya along the two sides where the steps are and under the window, and Agapanthus along the front. This is easy maintenance once it has grown to the height you want. Then you just trim it regularly to maintain the height and fertilize every three months or so. The smell of the orange blossoms in spring from the Murraya is amazing! Good luck with whatever you choose.

First of all, I really like your house. It's very inviting already and probably anything you do will look fabulous. You asked for suggestions to replace the tall trees you just took out, so here's mine.............. You could try a dwarf variety of some sort of deciduous tree placed a little further from your walkway and steps than were the original evergreens. Japanese maples or something even a little taller could look lovely. As long as you keep them trimmed, they will not take over and will add grace to the approach to your house. During the summer the leaves would soften the entry. In winter when the branches are bare, there would be some additional light getting through to your porch. Snow or raindrops will outline every branch and add changing interest during the winter months.

Thanks so much everyone!! I appreciate the kind words. I'm am very happy. I am thinking about adding one additional thing to my plantings, swamp milkweed. Does anyone have recommendations for where to plant & if just one plant is ok? I am thinking I can plant in the fence either between grass & spruce or between 2 grasses along the border. I want to provide the necessary food for butterflies (monarchs).

i think you can improve this area with a couple of things. rake out all the trimmings and leaves and replace with pinestraw or mulch to tidy area up. your azaleas will come back, but may not bloom for 2 or 3 years. in the meantime, you can add color with coleus, impatiens or caladiums along top of stone wall. when your azaleas start branching out, it is best to remove only one third of plant when pruning, but sometimes with radical rejuvenation, you just have to be patient and let them recover. adding new azaleas is not too costly, and you can choose ones that have a height that will accommodate trimmed magnolias. they are easy to transplant because the are so shallow rooted. formosa azaleas grow 6 ft and more. just reasearch them by height to choose best variety for your spot.