The shutters look too small, so yes remove them. I would remove all plantings and start fresh.
The ideas are limitless.
Start looking at landscaping images and see what appeals to you

Thanks Ellendi. But do you think the front of the house would look too plain without any shutters? I'm just having trouble envisioning it. Here is a side view where you can see the shutters on the siding. Any color suggestions?

I think the shutters look good with the house, but after reading the previous comment, yes, they could be a little small. You could try just painting them a different color first -- would be inexpensive and if you still don't like them you could remove them or replace them. What color? (shrugs) not sure, but I'd try something fun and brighter. The house needs some style!

As for landscaping -- if it were me, I'd consider getting rid of some or most of the lawn and planting other stuff. Plant water wise stuff if that's an issue in your area. Plant corn! (lafs). I don't know what your climate is like, or what is allowed in your neighborhood, but I'm all for alternatives to lawn.

I think you need shutters, but you need shutters which are the correct size. Yours are too small.

What state are you in?

We are in Indiana. I know it is commonly advised here to get bigger shutters, but I honestly have never seen bigger shutters. Do you have to order specialty sizes to get wider shutters? Maybe if I had better landscaping the front brick wouldn't look so bare without shutters?

I wouldn't take the shutters off. I would paint them a color that contrasts betters with the stone.

I think in the two areas on each side of the walkway to the front porch I'd put in hedges, and in the center of the larger area, in front of the window, plant something like a White Dwarf Weeping Snow Cherry Tree, Zone 5.

Tibbrix, thanks for the tree idea. I like it but don't know if I can put it that close to the house. Any suggestions for a contrasting color for the shutters? Also, do you think I should but a cone-shaped evergreen in the front of the house where the current large round evergreen is?

If you are in Indiana, this is the best time of year to evaluate your landscape, when Midwest lawns and gardens look their worst. I recommend researching "winter interest" plants, shrubs and hardscapes, especially for the area along your sidewalk. There are a number of lovely shrubs and small ornamental trees that have interesting bark, berries and "structure" that would add interest to your landscaping in the dreary winter months. About half your year is brown grass and lifeless plants, right? Be sure to consider plants that are unique and interesting during these months.

The mistake most homeowners make in the mid- and upper-zones is only considering how their landscape appears during the blooming seasons. (And everything is pretty during the blooming seasons!)

I know you don't like the big boxwood between your front windows (yes, I would remove that, too), but small boxwoods are a great foundation shrub that remain green in the winter. Good place to start. Also consider small conifers, ornamental grasses that remain in winter, small trees/shrubs with peeling bark and/or berries for interest, winter holly, etc.

If it's in your budget, a natural rock border/small retaining wall at the bottom of your slope (near the gutter drain) would be nice.

I would remove the shutters. Between those two windows in front, consider a decorative trellis that is pretty in the winter, and on which you could train a blooming vine for spring/summer months. Or plant a small ornamental--but upright--tree between the two windows. If, after you finish landscaping, you believe your windows still need shutters, you can put them back on.

Be creative--you have many options. I just strongly recommend focusing on the winter interest of your landscaping, given your location.

Here are a few random links I found with ideas. I'm not affiliated with any of these.
http://www.weekendgardener.net/perennial-flowers/winter-interest-90609.htm
http://www.landscapingnetwork.com/plants/winter.html
http://www.northerngardening.com/winter-interestpg2.htm/a/winter_shrubs.htm.

luv2look, that is why I suggested a dwarf flowering tree, so that you can have it fairly close to the house w/o its roots harming the foundation. This is definitely something you will want to make sure is the case with anything you plant close to the house. There are flowering trees that can be planted next to houses without risk.

I don't think I'd put a cone shaped evergreen tree in the center there. 1) again, the roots on an evergreen probably would be a problem with the foundation of your house; 2) I think it'd look a little too pat.

I think I'd be more inclined to bring the hedge from the walkway I suggested all the way around the front of the house, so that it passes in front of where the stairs go down to that door and continue on. therefore the hedge will be approx. 4 - 5 feet away from the house.

Put window boxes on the windows and plant flowers in the spring.

In the late spring, for the summer, you could plant annuals, such as sunpatiens or impatiens, depending on the amount of sun that front gets, along the front of the hedge. Would be so pretty.

I think I'd go with an off-white/ivory color for the shutters.

I would put something evergreen, tallish and columnar on each of the corners. Sky pencil holly is a great, dependable choice and will grow slowly. If it starts to get really tall (10') can be easily trimmed back to 6-8' until it needs to be 'tamed' again. For the area in the center of your windows I'd choose a grouping of 3 evergreen and possibly blooming plants such as Encore azaleas (Autumn coral has great foliage) or Pieris Japonica 'Mountain Snow' (grows ~4' tall). Then fill in with smaller shrubs between.

For the bed by your front entry I would strictly use small dwarf evergreens and fill in with a border of colorful perennials. You could continue a few more azaleas here but keep anything small and low growing, such as a spreading yew, a dwarf lorapetalum, planted in a group of 3 or 5. Keep it simple and try not to hide your entry. I would not plant a hedge as they tend to turn into a maintenance nightmare and then people end up with meatball shrubs or just a sheared-off straight line which is almost as bad IMO.

I agree your shutters could be wider. You have a lot of brown going on with the brick and roof, so you could brighten up the brown with something like the color of your garage door.

You've gotten some great advice already. I'll just add that i would dress up the front porch with colorful accessories like pillows, a planter, and maybe more colorful adirondack chairs or a nice painted bench. The color scheme should compliment whatever you choose for the shutters. I attached some ideas just to see if anything speaks to you. I'd also take advantage of flowering shrubs like the encore azaleas someone suggested. Great color three seasons of the year. Or maybe indian hawthornes; they're another nice flowering shrub that require minimum care. And they wouldnt take away from any other flowers and would work with your existing siding colors.

Peony4, I agree about needing to consider the winter months. At least a backdrop of evergreen something is needed here. I hadn't realized there were plants that would keep their berries all winter. I will definitely give those websites a better look-thank you! Tibbrix, I need to investigate window boxes-I have thought of them before but never figured out how to attach them to the house. That would definitely help bring some color up. Outsideplaying, thank you for some specific plant names to look up. I like azaleas but will have to investigate further as many years ago we had a dog eat an azalea bush and had to have her stomach pumped. The garage door is tan to match the siding color, so I don't know if that would really work for the shutters. Fluffeebiskits1, thank you for the color reminder. I was thinking of getting new chairs, but was actually thinking of going brown-probably not the best idea. I need to look up the Indian hawthorns. Keep the ideas coming!

I agree shutter should look real which would cover the windows but I think if no one else has wider shutters I would consider painting them like the garage door so they blend better and size wouldn't be as obvious. Then I would put my effort & money to landscape. Nice house.

Yes, I forgot about your windows on the 'siding' side near the entry. The SW colors FBiskits suggested are awesome. I especially like some of the grey-green tones with your brick. Would try Willow Tree or Forrestwood, although Forrestwood might be a little dark. I think someone suggested you could test-paint the old shutters with the paint before you settle on the new shutters.

Yes, Indian Hawthorne is another good choice. If you have a deer problem, however, they are candy for the deer. Chamaecyparis 'Gold Mop' or 'Sun Gold' are some other choices. No flowering, but would add another color (and is evergreen) in the landscape.

Definitely keep the shutters, at least on the front of the house, but get larger ones. Or remove the shutters and have the windows beefed up with substantial trim molding.

Replace the light fixtures by the garage door with larger ones...those are too small.

Then go to a nursery that does landscape design and have them design a landscape for your front yard...some will not charge anything if you buy the plants from them. But you need to pull the plants out away from the building and add a curve and some shape to the design, including some mounding of the soil to give more interest to the design. You need to offer more softness and welcome to the area by the front door, and bury the downspout in the landscape so just an outlet comes to ground...probably add a focal point in that area be it a sculpture, a fountain or a specimen piece....

These were before the lawn went in, but it gives you a sense of the mounding and the curves that we used to change a flat front to something more interesting.

And after the lawn went in.

We too are in zone 5 and with a good landscape design, it should be easily maintainable with a minimum of effort.

Outsideplaying, I do like the gold mop bush and will put them somewhere. I have one-I think I need to get at least a grouping of three. Annie, thank you for the pictures. Very nice landscaping. I had thought about going to a nursery for help but feel like I need to figure out what I like and want a little more first. I do feel like I am making some progress researching all the suggestions from everyone. It really helps me to at least have a starting point so thank you!

The Better Homes & Gardens website also has some free landscape plans to give you some ideas. There are different options based on the light in your yard and the types of plants you want. That may be a good place to get inspiration before going to the nursery. And if all else fails, find a good nursery with a knowledgeable, friendly staff and they'll offer suggestions. The best advice i could give is to have your soil tested before planting. That was a very costly mistake for me.