Curb Appeal

I wish I could say the HGTV show Curb Appeal came to our house and beautified the front yard, but instead, we have been doing some serious work in the front entry area near the house. When we first moved in three years ago, there was a giant Bradford Pear tree there. Its roots was already starting to push up the sidewalk, and the branches were just one storm away from breaking and falling on the house. So we had it taken out. We also had the privilege of tearing out the stubborn ground covering in that whole area.
For the last year or so, it's been a mound of dirt/mud that we couldn't decide how to landscape. But finally, some inspiration struck, and we got started!
We went for the half sitting area/ half garden... and a vegetable garden at that!! Yep, in the front yard! So now we just have to wait and see if anything ends up growing in that soil. At least it looks 100 times better than it did!!

Here's the progression:
In 2009:

In 2011:

Now!