Your local garden center should have a landscape designer(s) on staff. They are experts in all of what you're asking about.

Sounds like a great situation for a low lying creeping evergreen. BPMPA is correct, the BEST place to get 'what to plant' advise is your local garden center. Glad to hear someone give the details on effort, frustration with different options. Most people will give you what worked for them. That isn't necessarily a full look at the possibilities.

If mitigating the slope for mowing issues, it sounds like low retaining walls are in order. One on each side, maybe 4’ from the driveway. Then dirtwork to level the yards on both sides to make them mowable..

The new beds could be planted with a low well behaved ground cover. As you said, I wouldn’t want excessive plantings there either. That’s a lot of work and would distract from the real focus of your property, your house/front door.

As far as other things for curb appeal, I’d remove/move the lamp post, the shutters, and paint the garage doors white. The evergreens in the foundation bed are way overgrown. And while I’m spending your money 😉, your sidewalk is underwhelming.

Nice wide driveway. Simple things like that make a huge difference in the enjoyment and use of your property.

That does not look like a steep slope to me, I go up and down steeper all the time.

My only suggestions:

- Whatever you plant at the end /near the road should be short. You don't want anything tall that'd impair your ability to see as you pull out of the driveway.

- I like the idea of a mixture of grasses and rocks.

Bravo for wanting native plants. I would add at least one native tree on the right near the grassline-I am in Northern Virginia, but depending on where in MD you are, I imagine we have similar native choices. Magnolia virginiana would be lovely and not too large. If you want a large shade tree, can't go wrong with an oak which is the best tree for pollinators, support for insects, and food and shelter for wildlife.

For the actual garden area, check out your local native nurseries and make sure they certify that they are neonicotinoid-free-you don't want to plant natives to attract insects/pollinators and then have them die from your plantings! Please keep us posted on what you do. You have a nice large area to play with! ETA: if you want azaleas, White's Nursery in Germantown has some native ones which really are lovely. Mike has also started propagating native Rhododendron Maximum.

Native nursery list-stick to ones with asterisks next to their name

ETA: Although I must say two of our best native plant nurseries (Earth Sangha in Springfield and Watermark Woods in Hamilton VA) do not have asterisks, so maybe ignore what I said. :-)

Thank you for the comments so far! The overgrown evergreens in the front are definitely going! I just have to find a native shrub to replace them. I'll check with the nurseries. I want to find a landscaper who concentrates on natives and will offer consultations.

Slopes are a challenge. They are dry because water runs off, so it takes longer for plants to establish. And while they're establishing, weeds grow. It's hard on the legs to weed on a slope. I have both shallow and steeper slopes on my property.

I would suggest one or 2 low retaining walls, with flat spaces for planting your wonderful natives. Rocks are hard to weed around becaus the weeds get under and between the rocks. I have rocks on a slope and it's a challenge, even though it's a much smaller area than yours.