In order to suggest specific plants, I need to know what part of the country you live in. There are no shade trees it seems. I would take down the two shrubs at the front of the walk, including the purple one. Sorry. You can get the purple back elsewhere. They are overbearing and there's no symmetry. At the right corner of your home, not too close where the roots will damage the foundation or branches at maturity will touch the house, place a medium sized ornamental tree. At front, left corner, behind the mailbox ( you need a bigger, more updated one), maybe 5 feet to the right, place another tree. Pull out all the plants that are along the house and replace with evergreens, box woods? Just depends where you live. I would also pull out the white ground cover near the wall, just on the right, in order to achieve symmetry. I would paint the cream stucco a shade of gray darker than your roof and keep the trim white. Also, a new handrail would help freshen up the entry.

And I would be planting trees – real trees not dwarf versions of trees and no more palms (unless you want to have palm tree themed garden – in which case a lot more palms are needed). I am not advocating planting forest giants but there are trees that will provide shade, shelter and a sense of scale that you won't get from yuccas and buxus and mondo grass and succulents alone. But before you start buying those trees you have a few decisions to make and a bit of analysis to do. 1. Orientation – you need to understand the basics of winter sun and summer sun, how much westerly sun you welcome and how much you need to shelter from it; where your prevailing winds blow from and whether this changes with the season also. So, once you've worked out where you want the sun to penetrate and at what time of the year, how to allow for wind, frost, whatever... you need to 2. Decide if you want a predominantly native garden, a range of deciduous trees or a completely eclectic selection (like the best 'English' gardens – which are planted out with plants from all over the world – Indian subcontinent, Asia, Africa, The Americas etc. Even some from Australia!). 3. Now the tricky bit – what do you love, i.e. which trees and plants make your heart really sing – and hopefully for more than two or three weeks of the year? Once you have that list which of those are likely to be happy in your climate, in your soil and with the amount of gardening attention (watering, feeding, pruning etc) that you're likely to enjoy lavishing on them. Your long list will by now be a much shorter (and more manageable list) but trees are what make a house look bedded in and part of a landscape rather than just sitting out in the open in a way that is both self-conscious and a bit awkward. Although, again I guess you could embrace the suburban awkwardness and go all Howard Arkley in which case keep it all small and suburban... But it is your garden and your house – make it look like what you want your house and garden to look and feel like! Good luck!

I would embrace the element, but I would get rid of the wood chips. I'm thinking back fist sized river rocks. Then I would get a tallish flowering tropical such as hibiscus and add a few ivy plants to grow between the rocks. Additionally, a small water feature might be nice. For me, the bigger problem with the entryway is the door. You have an obviously contemporary home, yet you have a -very- traditional door. I would want a wood door with some sort of art glass element in it. The wood would of course need to be stained to match the existing woodwork. The door will be some big bucks, but it would remain regardless of flooring changes. These two doors are not specific recommendations, but examples of the type of entry door I have in mind. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for the advice. Not sure about black as a colour choice but love navy blue. That would recede but then maybe the greens contrast not so effective? Or dark grey? My roof will be slate grey. Are these free standing mesh panels widely available? The only mesh with which I am familiar as mentioned has to be fixed to the wall or fence. I had thought that the support would need to be freestanding but as my area is also very windy (Lots of Norwesters) I will need to choose carefully from what is available so they are in themslves protected. I have planted jasmine before in Europe but not been successful with an abundance of flowers either in France or Uk, which Is why I didn't list it. However, I am willing to give it another go as the foliage and habit are lovely. Am now going to look up the hedging you mentioned. Was thinking of getting the garden landscaped by someone local to my area but I am sure, like you, they will wonder at the 1.8m restriction! Sadly my subdivision permits only oak trees ( which they removed when subdividing) to be planted which we know grow over 1.8metres. What they hoped to achieve by creating that constraint is beyond me but I am not going to go against it as someone down my road was 'made' to remove their newly planted magnolia trees as they were already over 1.8 when planted. Further I won't live long enough to see an oak tree grow to its prime! TIA of further comment. Kidssiam