Welcome to GoY!
There will be lots of help here, especially if you can tell us where you are in the country and which direction your front garden faces, looking from front door.
If it were mine, I would plan the changes in easy stages. The first thing I would do,( and this is only one opinion), is widen one of the small borders to at least a metre wide or more to give you more flexible planting - tall at the back to low at the front, digging in plenty of compost as you go to improve the soil. Perennials and small shrubs, some of them evergreens, would be the backbone of a border like this.
There will be lots of other suggestions, I'm sure. Enjoy!

Hi Snoop,

Welcome to GOY

The garden is a relatively small one. Is it down to grass now with small borders all around.

Have you any thoughts about the type of garden you'd like eg formal/informal . Are you prepared to garden most weeks or do you want something very low maintenance.

Low maintenance doesn't have to be gravel or concrete!

As the garden is quite small I'd consider removing the lawn completely and using the whole area as a deep bed with a mix of flowers/small shrubs etc.

Planted well it would flower all year around and require less work than mowing the lawn/trimming the grass edges every week.

My own garden which is 35 feet by 55 feet approx with very deep borders(15 feet in places ) takes me less than 20 mins per week including cutting a central lawn + about 4-5 hours work over winter

I've just noticed we have very similar icons on here Ojib.

Great minds think alike! :^)

Yes, they are very similar, Anchorman - I had to look twice, I thought Ojibway had posted 3 times initially....
Welcome to the site, Lbsnoop - any chance you could post a photo or two of the area?
I'd also echo Ojibway's questions, what part of the country are you in, and which way does your front garden face (if you have your back to the house). If you don't know which way it faces, how much sun does it get?

Can't go wrong with blue irises, either as border plants or avatars!

(Yes, Anchorman, we do. My avatar is Iris Sibirica 'Silver Edge' , my favourite. What's yours? Steragram, irises are always welcome.)
Snoop, you're on your way ......

I'm not sure what my iris is Ojib.

It's a photo of one in one of my customer's gardens and we don't know its name

I think ONE part of the answer, Snoop, is start slowly, look at a lot of pictures, spend a week browsing this site: try out ideas and be prepared to make changes if and when you think you could do better. If you get it wrong, no-one is going to shout at you! Gardening isn't about speed. You've made the best possible first step, and you'll get dozens of answers here whenever you need help or advice. Welcome!

Just took photos but using an ipad and cant seem to add the photos, have mailed site for advice, thanks for all replies, so keen to get atarted wish weather would improve! I am not sure which way the front garden faces, it near 10am and garden is in shade, back garden is glorius, very sunny today (i live in scotland) sun will hut front garden about 3 or 4pm i think. Also soil in quite boggy, how do i improve that? Will keep trying to add the photos,

The sun will always be due south at noon GMT, if that helps.
I contacted the site a few months ago re iPad/iPhone pics and was told then that it was not possible. Things may have changed, however.
Lots of Scots on this site, including me!

If the sun doesn't reach your front garden till mid/late afternoon, and that isn't because of tall buildings or lots of trees blocking it out, then it's likely its west facing. Which would certainly explain why you've got boggy soil out there, not enough sun to dry it out. That also means your planting should not be the sun lovers! Anything which tolerates shade or part shade/sun will be fine.
The photos would be very useful if you can find a way of putting them on here - saves asking lots of questions about what plants you've got there already, etc.

Hi Anchorman, A foolproof plant to get started with is any of the hardy geraniums. I was a new gardener not that long ago and have found these perfect for brightening the beds quickly. There are loads of different kinds and I think they are all 'good doers'. Slugs don't like them so no worries there: they lounge around and increase their size so easy to get cuttings. Some are small and others quite big and bushy;some flower nearly all summer and others have one fabulous flush.
It's just a thought if you would like something to be going on with whilst you plan away.
You will get more tips on this site than a year of Gardeners World, (although I love that too) so how great that you found GOY. Wish I'd
found them when I was a total novice (still am really).
Happy gardening! Bet you get addicted!

Cheers guys, ill upload the photos at work on thursday if this sites not blocked:-) also have father in law roped in to help dig bigger beds when weathers a bit better, think id like curvy beds, been looking at all your photos for ideas. Off to google soil i
mprovement

welcome to GoY from me too. Remember when plants become established they will help remove some of the moisture. damp shade is fantastic for ferns, hostas and a myriad of other plants, hardy geraniums included.

Soil improvemnet may just come from digging in leaf mould/compost or grit. so it may just need a good digging.