Please, not red mulch. And for me I wouldn’t use black either. I prefer something that looks natural, so if I mulch I use compost. But mostly I just like to look at the soil.

But I don’t actually see a flower bed there, so what is being mulched?

Not red. So fake. Black or brown or undied. Just not red

Brown looks best. Dark brown if you can find it. Not red, not black.

Black or brown mulch only. I have rarely seen cases where red mulch looks good. Black or brown look much more natural, either the color of dark rich earth or brown bark. Red mulch has an unnatural orange look to it. The drawback to black mulch is that it fades to a gray tinge so you have to refresh a top coat more often to keep it that dark color. (To my eye it looks much more like very dark brown earth than black really.)

Thank you all!!! : ) We currently have boxwood, the mound of mulch/soil has washed away due to rain (before we installed gutters) so that area needs to be revived. I was thinking about placing shrubs, perennial flowers & some type of border/edging.

Can't see too much but it looks like your beds need to be made much deeper, perhaps with some curves, then you

bring in one truck load (maybe 2) of good quality soil/compost. Give your plants a nice

place to live.

I would put something tall in that spot to cover the siding. I wonder why they did that little bit in siding when it looks like everything else is brick.

Mulch is matched to plants not to doors. And brown, not black mulch. The whole planting zone should be in natural colors. That said, small shrubs with reddish leaves would be attractive with your house.

Perennials:

Great Design Plants · More Info

Lytle Road - Bainbridge Island · More Info

Your question as to what to put in that entryway space: tall black planter with overflowing hanging plants changed seasonally.

"Mulch is matched to plants not to doors."

Mulch is not intended to match anything!! It is to serve a function, the very least of which is to be decorative. If it were supposed to "match the plants", it should by all rights be green :-)

I don't know of any serious gardeners that care about the color of their mulch but they do care what it is made of and how that can contribute to the health of their gardens. That should be the only determining factor, not what unnatural color you can come up with to match or coordinate to your home or decor.

I prefer black...it makes a nice contrast to the plants. The colors of the plants/flowers “pop” against the black. IMHO

I don't see much of anything that needs mulch either. I do see what looks like Jack the Ripper. Perhaps if you ask nicely he will rip all the shrubs out and plant them three feet away from the house wall at a minimum Seriously, do not plant shrubs six inches away from the house. You have bigger issues to deal with here than mulch colors.

no tree that close to the house -- bad for both. agree with the notion of putting a tall planter there. decorative trees are for wide-open yards.

Go to a small garden center and have them work up a landscape design that will work with you front yard and house. Certainly deeper beds in front will extend and frame the view of your house. It would be helpful for you to stand back further to show a wider view of the house.

If termites are an issue in your area, consider pine straw or cedar mulch, rather than chopped up hardwood.

That's pretty funny, Christopher C NC - I thought the same.

Brown Cedar nice wide planting beds with a natural border for edging (rock or timberz) plantings away from the house by several feet and you are good to go with gutters etc. Nice home!

Yes, Very funny Christopher, lol!!! 🤣

I appreciate everyone’s input. I’ll share better photos tomorrow when I get back home. I thought that I had good photos of the front of the house in my phone but after scrolling I could not find one and haphazardly posted these anyway😬 to jumpstart my browsing/shopping

I seriously say, thanks houzzers for amusement.

What about a longer, larger light?

I’m guessing this is a new build, builders are notorious for cramming bushes right against the house with no concept of the final size of the plant. Easy to dig up and transplant now to a much deeper bed. I question the black steps, most of your trim is putty colored, why not the steps too? The black looks like you were trying to match the shutters but they can just be themselves. Yes larger lights when you can, and bigger pictures sans reaper.

Good morning! Here are better photos

I'm concerned now about the front entrance. Do you have to step down to the step when you exit the front door? Re landscaping, lots of suggestions already made apply. Also I would extend your garden on the left past the brick corner and around to the side. Same deeper flower beds.

I wish there was a better way to reply to each person here but yes, it’s a new build, we stained the steps black to match the shutters, the color is faded now so we were considering using exterior paint in black again. It was originally natural color wood. Didn’t think about a light color. Does the black look bad?

As others have said, you need to get those plants away from the house and make bigger beds. The current landscaping is doing nothing for the house or adding to the appeal. It's like little miniature soldiers lined up. Fortunately it's all small enough that you can dig the plants out still. If you keep them there they can eventually cause damage to the foundation.

I'd recommend you start at least 5 feet, maybe more, out from the right corner of the house, draw a line to the sidewalk to the front door. Add a curve to it--not just a straight line. Consider all of that one bed. It will include the little space next to the stairs. Don't line everything up. Put taller plants to the sides and back. Smaller things to the front.

As to the little space--I'd buy an interesting rock or fill the area with some shade loving perennials.

A piece of lattice with a climbing plant might look nice in the spot underneath the light fixture.

Can someone fill me in on how the plants can cause damage

black or brown mulch only -- the red looks so fake --

Plants are too close to the foundation. They shouldnt grow "into" your house, leave atleast 2-3 feet.

Plants cause damage by roots of shrubs and trees can damage the foundation of your house, shrubs and trees rubbing against the house can damage the paint/enable mold and mildew to grow on the house/prevent you from performing regular maintenance on the house/shelter insects, reptiles, raccoons, and other varmints - including humans - hiding there, and trees allowed to grow against/hanging over the house can lose branches in storms thru windows and roofs. Just to name a few. 😉

@ Angel & Rrah. Something Like this?

Thanks little bug😊. I’m learning a lot from you all😰🤗

Wouldn't that look lovely.

Plantings hold water, so too close to the house can cause moisture issues which could affect the foundation.

I'd get curvy with it in your landscape design.

A lot has to do with what kind of soil your home is built on.

If it's built on sand, water generally goes right into the ground.

Built on clay, water cannot drain away so easily.

I one home I had, built on sandy conditions, the sump pump never

came on. Didn't look at it for 12 years, as water just drained thru the earth.

Now I'm on clay and the sump pump is going all the time to drain water

away from the foundation.

A little off topic I know, but worth understanding.

I’ve complied everyone’s suggestions:
-black or brown mulch
-change the color of steps to “putty color” or something lighter
-uproot & transport shrubs 3-5 ft away from house
-wider, deeper, curvy flower beds
-large hanging pendant light & wall sconce
-tall plants to the sides & back
-smaller plants to the front
-shade loving perennials in the empty space

My landscaping instructor was sold on natural cypress mulch for its look, the way it degrades so slowly and for its insect repellent properties. Always my preference if I can get it, but don't buy a cypress "blend." It will have trash wood in it!

Not a pro. I prefer cypress mulch myself. It's the only mulch I buy.

Against your house black mulch with your new curvy beds will sing!

Use a garden house to help define your new beds, or better yet, get a landscape design.

A japanese maple could be very lovely in your landscape(many pictures on this thread).

Leave the empty space until you've done everything else(does not include changing color of steps), then revisit(might be a non-issue).

Thank you! Duly noted 🙌

@ Shirlpp are you saying leave painting the steps for last

Is there an app or something that I can upload my home photo to and create a landscape layout/design?

Yes, I'm saying to leave the painting of the steps for last......not unless you know FOR SURE that you need/want to paint them.

Your beds will look sparse when you replant. Do not worry. In a few years you will wonder why you planted everything so close together. Next Spring you can fill in the holes with annuals.

Builders tend to go cheap on landscaping (like everything else). You may want to buy some rotted manure or soil conditioner when you replant. Dig nice planting holes, amend the soil and water the bushes in. Plant them at the same height, not deeper.

You can try the iScape and Sketchup apps.

I have heard people refer to red mulch as hot dog color, that's reason enough to cross that right off the list. I think that black mulch looks too harsh and from a distance it can make the area look like it's been paved over. Please stick with brown, it's natural looking and you want your plants to be center of attention, not the mulch.

Hi!! I’m back again. We had to deal with a lot of hurricanes, so we paused on uprooting, etc. Now we’re getting our plans together & I decided that I want to paint the steps first. The grout in the brick is light grey/off white. Is that the color that I should match?

No- match the trim on the house. Either the putty of the siding or the white from the doors and windows. If you do the white I would use a light grey on the steps and porch floor, reserving the white for the post, risers, and handrails.

Oh okay! Thank you for the details b/c we would’ve made the same mistake and painted the entire steps/porch floor one color😅

So,something like this! This will be amazing

My experience with black mulch is that it fades to an unattractive gray colour, even if it is "guaranteed" not to fade. Dark brown mulch looks best.