You have a point on the concrete! Thank you-great idea!!

I am not a gardener, but I love to search for solutions. One I found said for you to keep the ivy and force it to trail over the hard corners of the planter to soften its look.

Then this:

To elevate your ivy planters, use the Thriller, Filler, Spiller method.

The Spiller being the ivy.

Very much like filling a window box, add small, unusual evergreens, the Thriller. They and the ivy will remain green year 'round. Then you add the Fillers.

I would love to have built in planters! Yes, I would remove the ivy, and plant just like you would any big pot. Thrillers, fillers and spillers. For me, a lot of color, or just plants in colors that you love.

You have a center flat ceiling framed in over the stoop, I would paint just the flat of the ceiling in a Haint Blue with the contrast of the crisp white trim for a fresh change.

A colorful out door mat, something larger than just a mat, to fill the space in front of the door. Depending on how much space you have at the bottom of the steps, you could add chairs or a small bench. or more big pots if you are a gardener. Is the house big? a photo to include the whole house would help determine if yyou could paint the front door or get larger light fixtures? Any thoughts on changing the color of the shutters?

Lots of options, but please don't cement over the planters... it won't look welcoming.

Would you like low maintenance..

or ok with changing seasonally?

Filling the two areas in would work for me if you made them level with the center porch space when covered with matching dark slate. In other words increase the size of the porch. Then use decorative pots for your choice of color. Like the above.^^^

Thank you all! I’ll keep you posted!!!

Whole front of the house

That view reinforces my interest in enlarging the porch width.

Any thought about removing the shutters? There are great ideas above about emphasizing the entrance by redoing the plantings on the porch boxes. Maybe also add complementary plants and flowers with color in the area at the left of the porch and in the curved front area. Just my two cents....

I agree that cement fill would not be the most attractive solution. However, before you replant, assess how much effort you want to devote to upkeep such as watering, weeding, trimming shrubs, deadheading blooms, and fertilizing. It's a great opportunity if you are a gardener, but also wise to recognize the long-term commitment.

Thicker trim around door and colorful flowers/foilage.

I would consider painting the white trim above the door to the siding color and the door trim in the shutter color. The door would seem less crowded, less busy this way.

Rounded plants that are like the rounded landscaping plants. Remove the ivy and use a softer groundcover like moss.

I don't know why that ivy lasted one year of you living in that home. What a perfect place for colorful annuals! If the OP is not a gardening type I am seeing more and more fake flowers/plants being talked about. They are getting very realistic.

Expanding on the option of filling the planters and making the porch larger all one matching surface. I would check interior space to be able to increase the wudth of the door up to 6 inches. It appears this may help center it.

Lots of good advice here. My contribution: the white pot with flowers seems out of place and looks like a tripping hazard for someone who might turn away from your door to leave and then not look down right away. I wouldn’t set anything on the porch floor surface. You have built-in planters already; no pots needed.

Speaking as a mature-age person, I’d feel uncomfortable with your steps. Have you considered adding short hand railings?

Your landscape beds on the ground look very well taken care of!

Thanks for the like.

It makes me wonder if the wood panels above the door are covering original brick. It might be possible to remove it.

It looks like the lawn should be aerated or dethatched.

Add a lawn tree.

Paint the shingles in the portico white.

In process of trying to grow a lawn!!!

Just make sure you check the light needs of any plants you choose to plant in the planters!

I would just cover the planters in the same stone you have used for the walkway and steps then just 2 nice big one on either side filled with seasonal plants and even Christmas stuff and maybe some lighting there .

Oh I went back and forth on almost this exact thing last year. We had Ivy in a bed by our entry that looked nice for about five minutes and then just took over everything. I completely understand the urge to modify but I'll be honest I did something drastic too because I was tired of the upkeep. Almost did. I should say what talked me out of it was realizing I probably regret losing the built-in spot.

We ended up pulling the Ivy and putting in a couple small boxwoods and that was kind of the sweet spot for me. They stay green. They don't need much really and I only add a few flowers in the summer when I feel like it. The one thing I didn't expect to care about was a little hand railing on her step so we added one mostly for my mom when she visits but now everyone uses it and it actually looks like it belongs there.

Your beds down below look great so you clearly have an eye for it. Whatever you do up top is gonna look good.

Thank you!!! Leaning toward keeping the planters and tackle filling with something new for sure.

Load the boxes with flowers. I like someone’s suggestion to use artificial flowers and evergreen if conditions for growing plants aren’t the best or you’re not into the maintenance.