Low maintenance is one thing; and deer resistance at a weekend place is going to depend a little on the acquired tastes of the wildlife in your locality. There have been umpty ump threads about this on the Cottage Garden, Perennials, Plants for Difficult Places, etc. forums and the one absolute is that there are no absolutes from one person's garden to another's. Also, if you search out deer resistant plants on the web, virtually every university extension has a site with big charts listing the regions typical plants and rates them as seriously, seldom, and/or rarely browsed. (Rabbits should also be a consideration - over the winter they'll chew down a lot of shrubs to nubs.) Low maintenance could mean more shrubs that could go for quite a long time before needing any kind of pruning or shaping; and fewer blooming perennials. In my experience, nepetas (catmint), salvias, Russian sages, artemesias, astilbes, peonies, PJM Rhododendrons, Northern Lights series azaleas, ferns, mugo pines, various spruce, creeping junipers, ninebark "Dart's Gold (chartreuse color), actaea pachypoda alba, Alpine currant, barberry (someone is going to say this is considered an invasive in some states), potentilla, and some things I'm forgetting, have never been touched by deer. I don't think they go for ornamental grasses, either. Until you get your gardeing feet wet, annuals are always a good choice along with some good bones shrubbery. It's wired in wildlife DNA to ignore annuals and go for the expensive stuff.

I have had 4 different selections of the Lights series azaleas and like them all (rosy, orchid hi-, and golden). They have survived and bloomed well every year, even when not in ideal settings such as a bit too dry or a bit more shade than what's best. In my garden the species crocus all bloom earlier than the regular, so that the species are fading as the regular larger-flowered types are budding. I do find that the hyacinths and crocus are more popular with critters, so you may want to add gravel or hot pepper to the planting hole, or add some alliums and smaller daffodils to the planting scheme in case the others get eaten. They will also extend the season for bulbs. I agree that Geranium 'Rozanne' would be a good addition to this bed as its airy spread from a single growth point (AKA sprawl) will help hide dying bulb foliage and add long term summer flowers without interfering with the azaleas' roots. I have grown an all gold hakone grass for years. In more shade it is chartreuse and in more sun it is gold. In too much sun it gets scorched white; I don't know how it will do in afternoon sun. I don't find it spreads too quickly, though the clumps do enlarge over time. It, along with the azaleas like even moisture, though not soggy conditions, so you probably want to mulch the area wih an organic mulch like shredded bark or pine straw. You might want to add something with large leaves just for the foliage contrast as most of the plants you've planned are relatively fine-textured. It sounds like it will be a lovely area!

Zone 2 is a big challenge. Rhododendrons and azaleas like a well drained moist acidic soil with protection from winter sun and winter wind but some summer sun. Only certain varieties will cope with this weather. The university of Minnesota has certain varieties it recommends for the cold climates. They are basically: Northern Lights series of Azaleas Rhododendron PJM and its siblings Hardy native deciduous azaleas Hardy mollis deciduous azaleas Rhododendron mucronulatum A native Wisconsin rhododendron species, R. lapponicum (Lapland azalea) hardy hybrid rhododendrons from Helsinki University in Finland If you have clay soil which has poor drainage, you probably would do best using raised beds with a good acidic soil rich in organic materials like leaf mold or peat humus. The height of the raised bed is to provide good drainage; it need not be more than 12" high since rhododendrons and azaleas have shallow roots. Fertilizing is not necessary. If done, use a good low nitrogen fertilizer such as HollyTone in mid spring. Some shade is good in summer, but protection from winter sun and winter wind is necessary if the plants tend to get winter wind burn. I don't know if you have black walnut trees or butternut trees, but they are toxic to rhododendrons and azaleas. All parts of the plant produce a poison that remains in the soil and kills many other plants including rhododendron and azaleas. One last precaution: if you do prune, prune immediately after flowering since next years flowers bud are produce around mid-summer. Pruning around mid-summer or later removes next years flowers. Iowa has a good site on rhododendrons. For more information refer to my website Here is a link that might be useful: Azaleas and Rhododendrons for Minnesota

You seem to be on the right tract. Here are a couple resouces you may want to use. The American Rhododendron Society has databases of all registered varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas and lists their size, hardiness, color, and sometimes a photo. They are at: Rhododendron Database & Photos Azalea Database & Photos And they also have a Proven Performer Lists for your area: Proven Performers for New England Once caution. Early bloomers frequently get hit by late frosts. Hence, I would avoid any listed as early bloomers.