Geographical region? Color preferences? One generally applicable point is that a good plant structural detail to plan for is about half of the plants having round flowers and half spike shaped ones.

That is very tight spacing.....both for planting and walking!

I'd suggest relocating the walkway to the outside where the landscape fabric is showing. And widen it to at least 4', making sure to have a generous landing at the base of the steps. That will then provide for a much more acceptable planting area, where you could include some compact evergreen shrubs (for a permanent, year round presence) as well as some colorful perennials. Right now, you barely have enough room to accommodate some annuals!

What plants you may want to include will depend on where you are located and what sort of aspect (sun/shade) this areas has.

Yes, those beds are very very small, and the steps and sidewalk are underwhelming. Rip out the existing sidewalk and build a new one 4’ wide, at least 4’ away from the foundation. 5’ or 6’ away would be even better. Then you’d have a decent sized flower bed to work with. And rip up that landscape fabric and allow none to ever enter your property again.

There’s no way to offer planting advice without knowing where in the world you are. Wales? Austria? British Columbia? Mississippi?

I am located in north Alabama

Agree that the planting space is tight between the house and walk. New house, you probably don’t want to start in by tearing out the walk right away. Maybe put that in your long term plan but for right now, I wouldn’t put much in the bed along the house. Maybe some (5) small Carl forester grasses, just something to give some height there. I’d plant on the outside of the walk, and maybe extend the walk by adding a brick border on the outside. Good luck!

Take out the straight planter edging border and throw it out. Ugly. Lay a garden hose in the grass and cut along it. Expand into the yard in a curved planter edge. You don’t need a concrete edge if you make a little ditch (I don’t know what else to call it) about the width of a trowel where grass won’t invade the planting bed.

Yes to all the above. How about a view of the whole front from face on? Curb appeal starts with a welcoming entrance and that small stoop and skinny walk is not very welcoming.

tj

I'm not going to advise a construction project. That costs a lot of money and time and effort, which many of us don't have. I'm guessing the 2 beds are both around 3 feet wide? One advantage to the bed nearest the house is that any perennial that spreads will be fenced in. I wouldn't put Carl Forester ornamental grass all along that bed. It would be monotonous and boring, I'm so sick of that look! That's used in landscaping for businesses. I think you can just plant a mixture of perennials and annuals in both beds, for color, interest, wildlife. You could expand more into the yard if you like. There IS enough room in the bed nearest the house for some smaller perennials, along with annuals. Nobody would see the walkway from the street, only the flowers in front, and the plants will brighten everything up. It would suffice. The plastic, is that landscape fabric? If it is, get rid of it. It caused more problems than it solves. Best of luck! This would work short term or forever, whatever way you decide. There are a lot of beautiful plants to be had down there in Alabama.

I would remove the landscape fabric and then use annuals this year because I really think those steps are impractical and you’ll want to change them after trying to use them for a while. The treads are narrow, the risers are uneven in height and they look potentially unsafe. You might find you’d prefer them to be at the driveway end of the porch in which case you could use the whole width as a bed and lose the path altogether. I would not put in a wiggly edge. We can’t see the house facade but if it’s fairly symmetrical a wavy edge for the sake of it would look silly imo. Plus it would drive whoever mows the lawn nuts. There’s nothing inherently ugly or boring about a straight edge if it suits the site. Or, if you want curves, make them few and generous, not wiggly.

I agree to keep it straight. I would do a row of boxwoods and then some flowers in front. I agree about the walkway being tight and I would love to see a continuation of some brick when you do do a new one. But, do it when you can. Cute house!

first.. i think you need a 5 year plan .. including how much gardening you want to do ... and perhaps.. is this the only garden bed you will have ... we have no idea what you have planned for the backyard.. but if that is where all the action will be.. i wouldnt waste too much time, effort or money out here ... like redoing the sidewalk ... the cost/benefit ratio just might not be there ...

second ... i think i see the porch is basically useless ... can you even get a chair on it.. if you wanted to hang out .. out there??? .. and if not.. then who is going to spend much of any time out there .... not much is needed to clean it all up... and make it presentable to those who might pass by ...

if you are not going to be out there much ...... i might recommend some trellises on the posts.. and something like clematis ... or morning glory ... otherwise.. as noted.. that bed between the porch and sidewalk is just about useless ... common builder deal.. with no concept of actually planting anything in there ...

third if you want some mass out there ... increase the bed away from the house ... keep in mind.. foundation plantings are to hide the foundation... NOT ON THE FOUNDATION... or you will just spend years battling things that will outgrow a given space ...

and.. IMO .. never use landscape cloth ... we can go into a million reasons for that some other time ... so get rid of whats there ...

in spring.. double dig the soil ... loosen it all up .. find out what the soil structure is .. maybe even perk it.. to see how well it drains .... and then just plant whatever makes you happy.. and on some level ... think of it as a nursery bed.. lets just see what grows out there ... and what you like ... gardens are NOT static ... plant once and forget.. they are ever evolving ... so just move stuff around.. as you figure out what you like.. and what thrives.. [did you mention how much sun is out there???] ...

sooooo.. prep the beds properly.. just buy a bunch of stuff.. and move on to the backyard .. or phase 2 of your 5 year plan ... and then in fall.. just fix whatever you screwed up ... lol ... over the plants around ... remove problem children.. and make note.. what died ....

finally ... if you can state.. in words... what YOU want to accomplish ... then it is rather easy to accomplish it ... so by the time we are done.. hopefully you can ...

dont get all wound up with having a perfect first try ... just do it ...

welcome to the forums ....

ken

Quick, easy and least expensive option...remove the border blocks and weed barrier, lay down a good layer of top soil and lay sod. Those look like red oak leaves all over (or one of the many types of oak)...In AL, you probably have St Augustine grass and with the oaks around its probably a bit thin...you can pick up bags of top soil and sod pieces from your local Home Depot or Lowes. A good spring weekend of work and you can have a clean entry until you decide exactly what you would want to do for the front curb appeal (design) and a good budget parameter...just don't forget to water often ;-) ;-)

If you've lived in Alabama, you'll understand that the first thing to know is how much baking sun this area gets. If you haven't lived in Alabama, you're going to find out how important that question is this summer! Most front door areas get significant sun, but the mature pine trees in the photo mean you could have some shade.

And, along with that is what direction the front faces. If you're in full sun AND the front of your house faces south, you have to plan for plants that can withstand not only sun and humidity, but the cooking heat that will be reflected off that brick work.

I wouldn't make any decisions or take any advice on plants until those factors are known.

Ahhh, the memories of growing up in Alabama!

Over where the car is might be a better place for a new landing.

I agree with Tripton, grass to the walkway. Invest in 2 big containers placed at each post. Then change them out seasonally. Thriller, filler, spiller with whatever HD has that is inexpensive. Toss the plants when they look ratty or over-grow their spot. It will be just-that-much gardening for a busy person and fun to change the look seasonally.