I knew they'd chime in...listen to them, they're golden!

Hellebores are pretty tough plants and a good option to try if you insist on a groundcover height directly under the magnolia. I have the same surface roots, plus dry concerns for best results. Shade concerns not so much because of where you are and being south facing. I still favor using shrubs to fill the gap under the tree. Three Spirea japonica planted in front of the magnolia will eliminate the need for hoping to establish a groundcover, look nice and make a fine hiding place for those big hard waxy leaves. You can still do the bench and the single medium size specimen shrub in the back.

Here's what I'd do. change out that front door. it's faux victorian style and doesn't work on your style home. Do a door something like this (not necessarily this color, just the style), remove that one pair of shutters (you don't need them) and remove the dated looking inserts on the garage door windows and add some iron carriage hardware to the door other softer blue combos. (If you have an HOA, check w/them first. Seems like every color house is that buttery yellow) If you're in the tropic region of the state, anything goes. If your front faces north or east, you could do some shade loving ferns/begonias, and bromeliads for some color. I'd remove that boxy shrub under the window. I'd prob switch out that red mulch in the flower beds and do a black/or brown bark. a lot of flower beds also use the white rock If you go to the SW ColorSnap app, you can upload a pic of your house and try out colors. I'm sure the other companies have similar apps

Thank you all for your comments. I live just outside of Philadelphia, PA. For some reason I was not able to post all the pictures I wanted so you are not seeing the entire yard. Ken, I will take your advice and remove everything I don’t want and post new pictures. Thank you for the information for the lilac. I like your suggestion re the trellis. I was just at a Nursey last weekend and saw a beautiful trellis with euonymus growing on it. When I saw it I thought “ I wish I had a place for that”, and now maybe I do. Dig Doug’s Designs, I admire your work and always enjoy seeing what you do to beautify a landscape. However, I am looking to create something low maintenance. Your design, though beautiful looks like high maintenance. Celery, You design is more in line with what I think I need. I had not at all considered using rocks/boulders in the design but I love the idea and they are certainly low maintenance. I do’t care for the little pebbles but would like the boulders or large rocks in a flower bed with small evergreens and a few perennials. djacob, I live in an area where the houses are close together and neighbors share a driveway. I am trying to creat a backyard room so that when I am in my yard I do not see my neighbors’s shed or car parked in the driveway. With this in mind, a swing or fire pit atone end of the yard would be lovely. I would probably go with the swing because l would likely use it more that a fire pit. I’ve read through hundreds of these posting and have learned a lot from so many of you. One piece of advice that reverberates in my head is from Yardvark instructing posters on how to take pictures to give a full view of the area. Many of my pictures did not post so I am going to try it again. Looks like I can only post 4 pictures at a time. Stay tuned for more..