I would remove the tree that is in front of the front patio. I think hostas would look fabulous there - and maybe for some color, add a couple hanging pots with Wave petunias. Under the other window - I think is up to you! You could throw some wildflower seeds there and let it just bloom! I also think what you suggested would be awesome. Congratulations on your first yard!

That will be a really cute house when you finish the updates you described! That flower bed in front of the porch, I would remove the edger stones and just trench out the border to keep it clean but I would make it about 3 ft wider than it is to give it some prominence there. I would do a rounded flower bed on the left that connects with the front porch one. Have fun!

I like the brick, though it looks like it could use a washing. Keep in mind that currently your brick is low maintenance, only really needing the occasional wash. If you limewash it, you can't ever go back to the original brick again. You will also need to start keeping up the paint job just like any other painted exterior cladding.

I suggest azalea bushes. I posted some pics below from Pinterest.

I don't think white with black trim will be a good look for this house. Something similar to what Dig Doug posted would be more attractive. The white with black is "in" now (even that I'm not sure about - for me it's already been overdone), but in 5-10 years you will have to redo the exterior. Better to just clean the brick so you don't ever have to paint or whitewash it again. It's the brown trim that's currently bringing it down.

Dark trim would work cos there are some dark bricks exist.

The stones will go away and just be black mulch. It seems too tall/floaty. I think I wanted it more full/lush. Like these. Thoughts?

Looks like a good number of plants to create a full garden look & much bettter than existing. My caution is to be sure to allow space for growth. Stagger the plants - no soldier like rows. Add a bit of space center to center in addition to what plant tag says. Mulch all that space - it’ll look great. I’m looking for my path to walk up to your front door….it looks like I have to walk up driveway to garage & then across the porch. Not a great welcoming set up. You have to take out lots of grass anyway for your nicely expanded planting beds, right? Why not take the time to plan a walkway from the driveway to front door that’s in front of the tall shrub that is already there? Looks like it creates a nice small tree shape as long as you keep the bottom growth pruned off & trunk exposed. Use pavers or flagstone as your walkway. Plant most of the plants for that side in front of the new walkway in an expanded bed. Plant some of them along the porch edge with the existing small shrub tree. You’d want to put in a rigid path border to hold the gravel in place around the stepping stones. This is a much smaller project than your initial plan to whitewash brick which seems none of prior responders favored - me either. Leave it & create magic with prettier color on trim & doors.

I'm going to add a walkway of pavers. Either leave the grass between them or put the black edge and pea gravel around the pavers. I'll likely leave the brick (it's more yellow in person) and maybe just repaint the trim a dark blue or dark grey, maybe?

@newhomeowner2024 Great minds think alike! 😊 Seems either the dark blue or grey will work - looking at mockups in other replies in this thread. You plan to power wash so maybe decide once that’s done as the color change of brick might be remarkable. Paint samples are key. You can also test colors with the online visualizers where you upload your home & try out colors. The path - the look of grass between the pavers is nice but it might be labor intensive to mow. Personally I like the look of a more defined path with gravel or a no mow fill around the stones / pavers. Seems like path should start no closer to house than midway up the drive.

ETA: for path - I mean, not too sharp a curve. More of a meandering path. The mockups posted by Celery & Dig Doug’s are both great examples & easily scaled down for a smaller path.

I like you plant choices and spread so far! I bet it makes you extra itch to get the brick washed and trim painted so you can start working on the beds. I'm a fan of choosing blue over grey for your trim.

Hostas in Houston in afternoon sun? That doesn't sound like a good idea...........

I wouldn’t paint anything black, especially if there’s no other black around. IMO it looks cheap, like you had some leftover black paint in the garage and decided to use it.

Do you have hostas already? I’m surprised hostas grow in Houston. For sure don’t plant them in the sun!

What direction does your house face? I think to keep hostas alive in Texas you have to do a lot of watering. And if your house faces any direction but north, hostas would fry in the sun.

I'd be tempted to paint the door turquoise since the house already has a southwestern colors theme going.

Here's an update picture. I agree that the hostas will probably need to be replaced. I had initially thought to go with hostas when I thought the area was full shade. I just recently realized it has morning and afternoon sun. I'm not too sure about the left back row. Those are canna lilies but they're not standing tall like I was hoping. I still need to add a black boarder where the stones are and add a paver walkway. I'm also planning to replace the door. Thoughts?

@newhomeowner2024 Great progress! I would make both beds deeper & not so round. I’d extend the outside straight edges - the property line edge on left & the driveway line on right - towards the street & curve the ’round’ edge up toward porch. The result will be that pathway will have a nice border. Those hosta - maybe they can survive in left bed up by house. Your 6 pm pic shows that section still shaded. If you plant along porch where they’re sitting in planters now, they will also have the reflected heat from sun hitting porch & drive. The other bed in shade will be many degrees cooler surrounded by soil & grass. Your door - is that a storm door you’re showing & you’re going to replace the white half window storm door on house? If so, I do like the new storm door but not in the lavender color it looks like it is. Do you need a storm door & is inside door in good shape & nice design?

I'm not sure what you mean by straightening and rounding the bed. Does the red lines match what you're suggesting? The white door is just a solid 1 piece wood door. It's very old and in bad condition. There is not a srirm door. I would be replacing the white door with the one that has glass, it is a steel door. I'll paint it to match the new trim color, which is still being determined.

@newhomeowner2024 I tried a very rough markup of your pic — sorry so rough! But, I mean a bigger bed with inside edges on a soft & long curve. The outer edges should follow the driveway on right & property line on left as you have it.Doesn’t have to be as big as I drew but it’s more the shape I’m meaning. It’d be a nice frame to path & easier to mow around path too with no grass there. The black arrow is where I suggest trying the hosta as it seemed the most shaded.

I like what you’ve done so far! Consider doing a curved walking path on right side from driveway to front door, just follow along the bed you have there. When budget allows consider painting all the rust trims a nice grey/green color.

When I look at the pictures of your house and those pictures with modifications, the first thing I see is the white window on the left side of the picture. The last thing I see is the window that is hidden behind the large bush on the right.

I think that the bush needs to go, and the two window trims be painted in a similar neutral color, something bring but not blaring. I would repaint the garage door to a less glaring light yellow or light tan. This would balance the architectural features of your house

What is on the right (Picturewise) side of the house, on the other side of the driveway? Remember to present your house, this side also adds and subtracts from the presentation.

I would then highlight the porch area with some low growing plants like drift roses, or other COLORFULL plantings. I would count balance the garage door with some large Bush on the far left side of the house, planting it out nearer the street to help frame your house. Budget practical, I would add a sidewalk coming from in front of the door with a pleasant curve to the drive.

The edging stones aren't bad. They just aren't installed properly. They should be at least half buried. I would see if you can buy more matching ones and create a second row on top of the half or fully buried bottom row. They sell them at Home Depot and Lowes for like $3 each. Not sure if they carry an exact match, but if you mostly bury the ones you have now, the top row probably doesn't need to match exactly. One of the main advantages of doing this is it will keep grass from growing into the beds. Later on, you'll probably want a nice lawn and in Houston that probably means a warm season grass. They spread out aggressively. In a few years, you may be really glad you followed my advice.

Keep the brick the same interesting color with the black accents you have planned. Remove the shutters entirely for a more modern look since you don't have any shutters in front. But first, "shampoo" your roof before you spiff up anything else.

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Same palette as yours. Seriously, save your whitewashing money for landscaping and hardscaping.

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Have a garden designer help you plan new hardscaping and landscaping. Remove all those stones that block off your planting bed so you start with a blank slate.

I love how helpful everyone is here, next project I’m posting it here :))

Your plan sounds great! Limewashing the brick and painting the trim black will give it a fresh look. Finding affordable plants on Facebook Marketplace is smart! Make sure to consider the sun exposure for each plant to keep them thriving.

Oh please don’t limewash or paint the brick. And no to black trim. I live in Houston too, in a brick house (so many lovely brick homes here). Even after a couple years, the homes I’ve seen painted/limewashed/ in my neighborhood are showing degradation. Successful use of trendy updates on a traditional 50 year old home is rarely accomplished, IMO.