i would plant the area to the right of the drive with a 10 foot wide bed.. of mixed plants.. including conifers... to hide the garage front .. and kitchen window [presumably]... which would eventually get into the 3 to 6 foot range ... softening all the angles in that area .. the 2 foot wide bed under the sink would get climbing veins.. like clematis or morning glory... MG's because they are a fast thing for this season ....] as would the poles around the front patio area get some bird netting and vines ...... and i might get something like a dwarf canna to give some height in front of the chairs ... your problem is all the horizontal aspects.. with a lack of garden bed to put in the vertical elements you need.. plus all the white cement... ken

snicker- you'd be dead before a daphne odora got that big. daphnes are great, but they have a habit of dying right around year 5-8, and they normally top out at about 3-4'. they grow slowly, to say the least, and are pricey, though the big boxes carry them for reasonable amounts compared to nurseries. do pop one in, just for the fragrance & looks, but put it in front of something taller. they need excellent drainage. another thought- hellebores would be nice to have a t the feet of some of your bigger stuff. they have long lasting flowers, can take poor soil and shade and thrive on neglect. they ain't cheap, and grow slowly, but they are worth it. if you can find someone who has them already, ask for seedlings- they self sow abundantly - and start that way. it'll be 3-4 years before you see blooms, but you won't regret it, and you'll forget they're there til then. camellias are easy. not high maintenance at all here. just pick the type you want based on the bloom you want and when (some bloom late fall & some spring) and the size, and be patient and let it grow. they'll do that faster with some sun and good soil, but will grow in shade; it just takes longer. if you can improve your soil, a 1 gallon plant, which would probably be about 12- 18" high, would probably get to 3-4 feet in a couple years. most camellias are going to get much larger than that though and you'll want to be careful in picking ones that match the size you want eventually to avoid trimming chores (most get bigger than what you're wanting). camellias have an nice shape naturally and shouldn't need too much fussing, unless you plant the wrong thing and it gets too big. i'd consider mixing and matching rather than doing all one thing. that way if you do have disease or insect problems, it doesn't wipe out everything. or if one dies down the road, you aren't stuck buying a huge one so you don't have a hole. a little variety in shapes and forms is much more dynamic in design, too. you can get a better range of color and scent and times of color as well. have fun with it!

Rhodendrons, Azalea's, and Hydrangea's, mountain laural, Annabelle hydrangea, are all nice plants and they are acid loving plants. You should buy a soil test kit to check your soil. This would prevent problems later on.

The University of Connecticut Plant Database has an elaborate search feature that lets you look for plants with a combination of "wish list" characteristics. I tried the following: LARGE SHRUB + EVERGREEN + SHOWY FLOWERS + DEER-RESISTANT. The last is probably a good idea, as others have suggested. The database found four (drum roll, please). Well, really three, because one appears to be in the search results by mistake, Candytuft or Iberis sempervirens, a low-growing plant that does meet the other requirements. Then we have: Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia likely already growing near you (the original poster), very showy flowers Oregon Grapeholly, Mahonia aquifolium I think this is a very good possibility, with its holly-like foliage, showy yellow flower clusters in spring, and grape-like fruit; compact cultivars are available so it should be possible to select a good size Japanese pieris, Pieris japonica which I am less familiar with but looks nice also: "strings" of white bell-shaped flowers, pink for a few cultivars, compact cultivars are available These are said to all be best for a partial shade environment with "moist, organic, acidic soil". If the location is too hot and dry for these flowering, broad-leaf evergreens, it might be best to use something tougher like juniper instead. Finally, from the location description "west central West Virgina on the Ohio line" you are right next to the Ohio River, which suggests you might also try another regional forum as listed below. Here is a link that might be useful: Ohio Valley gardening