Please give the nearest big city & state. Is this a flip and you want cheap & generic landscaping or a new to you family home?

I’m a little less then an hour north of New York City. New to family home I’m putting my touch on.

Congratulations on your new home! Since it's all yours we can be creative LOL. I know you want to focus on that one specific area under the windows but please step back and take a photo from across the street so we can see the context. Thanks!

Thanks for your help. Here is what I’m working with, let’s get creative!

It's gorgeous!!! All it needs is a little tweaking. The two shrubs on the left need to go - if you give close ups of those plants a forum member will ID them and suggest whether they are treasures to replant in the backyard or potential compost.

Thanks. Yes I was going to remove those. Any suggestions on what I can add in there?

the shrub in the corner ... is what you need..a but it needs to b e planted 8 to 10 feet on the other side of the sidewalk ... not jammed into a 3 foot wide foundation bed ...

that bed is insufficient for all shrubs and trees ... nothing in that realm will stay 3 feet wide ...

the problems is the 2 story height you need to offset with greenery ..

so come out into the lawn .... and plant larger shrubs or smaller trees out there ...

vies your house from the road or public sidewalk.. not from your private front door sidewalk ...

view the whole front lot.. not your improperly sized foundation bed ... never forget get.. foundation planting are planted to hide the foundation ... NOT ON THE FOUNDATION ...

if you favor us with a pic of the full front yard.. you will probably get better suggestions ..

ken

i see the last pic added... you have a 16 to 10 foot tall house.. and what looks like a 5 to 8 foot foundation bed.. that is your problem right now.. plant plants with larger potential .... out in the lawn ...

Please tell us a little about yourself... are you a passionate gardener, an average homeowner who doesn't mind putzing around in the garden on weekends or someone who wants a very low maintenance landscape?

The current planting includes a variety of plants in a naturalistic arrangement. Does this appeal to you or do you prefer something more disciplined with visible mulch?

If we suggested flowering perennials or shrubs, what is your color preference?

So I should lay some plants down on the opposite side of walkway (further away from house)? Makes sense. What can I plant closer to the house? Thanks for the help.

I’m a solid gardener I want to play around on weekends but not all day. Visible mulch is nice I want to add some color. Mainly some muted colors with a little pop. Would like to add a tree. I’m going to redo the pathway. Change the door and light fixture. Would also like to add two pots on the landing with some color. Hope that helps

How wide is the bed from the sidewalk to the wall?

tj

5-6 feet

Which direction does the house face?

Any idea how many herds of deer you are dealing with?

House faces south east. Not sure much about deer but I assume they are around.

Conventional wisdom says "live in a house for a year before making landscape changes" because who knows what cool plants could pop up in that planting bed? Conventional wisdom also says "plant a row of evergreen foundation shrubs in cold climates for winter interest". But this is your house and it's bugging you. If you forego evergreens along the foundation, could you place a spruce on the lawn?

Yes there’s room for a spruce on the lawn.

I would remove all the shrubs on the left and start fresh. It's hard to tell how much space you have between the house and the sidewalk. I keep picturing an old fashioned lilac--the kind that get up to 12 ft high--in the middle of the blank space between the windows. Then you need some low evergreens such as spreading or densiformis yews on either side of it near the foundation for winter interest. And if there is any room left in front, a few dwarf hydrangeas like "Bobo".