It's actually pretty hard to see what you're dealing with from that picture. What don't you like about it now?

Plant some bulbs and shrubs to Soft the straight line of the front and the long sidewalk.
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Here is another pic, maybe this helps? I guess its just to plain and totally boring.
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As the only way we can see your yard is via photos, I think you will get more comments if you put a photo that shows the extents indicated in my example below. And also post another close-up that does not have the width cropped out. Avoid strong shadows. (In your current close-up, 50% of the yard is pitch black.)

My first suggestion is to limb up the tree. It won't be possible to enhance the view of the entrance while you are at the same time working hard to obscure it. For starters, give the tree a clear trunk to even with the garage soffit. The same would be true to the street tree hanging over the camera's left shoulder. Branches are too low.

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Until you post a wider angle...

My first impression of the front yard is that it's a LONG distance to your front door....which should be your focal point.

Realizing you need to keep within a strict budget, I would concentrate on creating a garden like atmosphere from the tree towards the front door. You could place 2 vines on the garage wall. The other side of the side walk you could get 3-5 1 gallon shrubs to fill in. Try and find some perennial starts from friends of more prolific bloomers. Mulch can often be free from city's.

Don't know if you have to have the light post in front or not. If not I would take it and the flowers out. At least take the flowers out (and transplant perhaps behind the tree). The eye goes to the first thing in the yard with color with is a HUGE distance to your front door, which accentuates the distance. By removing this area and grassing it, your eye would fall to your tree which would dramatically reduce the visual distance.

Another wider pic is definitely in order

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I would entrap the tree to the left in a bed adding a couple of bags of mulch and pulling up the grass. I would frame it with loriope "monkey grass". I would do the same with the bed by the mailbox and would run it all the way to the driveway and street so its easier to edge. I would probably remover the lamp post, to me it takes away from the house and is one more thing to hit with the car.

Some height a shrub or dwarf variety of japanese maple would look nice in the front bed by the sidwalk.

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Honestly, if this crap is what people are looking for this is no longer the place for me. The last time I saw anything like that I was tripping and that was in technicolour. Total garbage, this is not design this is touting for business or the landscaping equivalent of finger painting.

Nice.no one say about feeling different size from different angle and distance problem again.