Hi, vkspecial. What kind of tree is it? How large is it (height, width of trunk, etc.)? How far is it from the house?

It's difficult to advise without seeing photos of the areas you're asking about.

I have taken a few pictures, how can I add them?

pics

Here is a link that might be useful: House pics

The link you posted just asks for you to sign into the site. Do they give you instructions for sharing your pics?

Sorry everybody. I finally figured it out. Here are the pics of my house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Curb

Curb

Here is a link that might be useful: Curb

Yay, I see photos! It's a bit confusing, but they're there.

Definitely remove the purple-leafed tree in front of the window.

A few feet in front of that are two young trees -- I'm guessing Kentucky coffeetrees? -- and others nearby. I doubt any of them should be saved.

Now, can you tell us about the large trees in the lawn on that side? The one farthest from the house looks like a magnolia. What's the green-leafed tree behind that, closer to the house? Is that the mother Kentucky coffeetree?

How wide is it from the edge of the driveway to the property line beyond the magnolia and other tree?

I am embarrassed to say but the little trees are weeds. So there is a magnolia tree, I don't know what kind the other one is. The property line is just a couple of feet beyond the 2 front trees. What do I need to do about the steep area around the purple tree? Do I need to mulch it and plant some small bushes?

The Magnolia (front tree with the huge leaves) is definitely desirable, though many people find them too messy. The green-leaved tree behind it may be a bit close to the magnolia (I can't tell from the photos), but if so, that's a problem you can leave to the next owner. I hope someone else will address the issue of whether that tree hides the house too much.

I have no idea what the green-leaved tree is, but something nearby must be the parent of all those saplings that I think are Kentucky coffeetrees, so check to see if the leaves match. Coffeetrees are either male or female, so whichever you have, there must be another nearby. (Unless I'm wrong and the saplings aren't coffeetrees. Do you see big fat seedpods like giant lima bean pods?)

I'm not sure what all you've got in the bed around the purple-leaved tree. There's something variegated (small white and green leaves) that could be worth keeping. The spiky bluish evergreen is some sort of juniper, and is a good thing to anchor the soil on the slope. You could add another juniper next to the stairs, but it probably wouldn't be the same variety as the one you already have -- plus it would be quite small for years.

Re. what to plant there, which direction does the house face? [If you aren't sure, look in Google Maps' satellite view; north is always at the top of the map.]

If you chop the purple tree at the soil line, the root system may make it difficult to plant anything in that bed. If you remove the stump and roots, get advice beforehand on the best way to go about that to minimize damage to the juniper's roots.

How large is the tiny area between the garage and the front steps? Is there dirt there or cement? If you can't put a plant there, perhaps a decoration.

Hey, I drive a Rondo too :-) since 2007. I love it!

I'm thinking that it doesn't matter too much what those seedlings are, main thing is they aren't wanted, so take them out. But for what it's worth, they might be Ailanthus.

I'm not sure I would remove that purple tree in front of the window. You could just thin it a little, or raise the canopy; maybe both. Judicious pruning would do a lot for the trees along the driveway too. Might be worth hiring someone.

But really, by next spring all these things will still not be so big as to be real deterrents to purchase... you could get away with just thinning and weeding. A new owner, with more invested in how the next few years in the house are spent, might be quite happy to make major decisions, including the big evergreen to the left of the garage.

KarinL