Aerove, "layered" is one of those words that is a bit vague and can mean different things to different people. You could describe in detail what its appearance means to you, or submit a photo example. FYI, flowers are parts of plants and almost all plants have them including trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials and annuals. While annuals must be replaced on a periodic schedule (annually or possibly twice per growing season) they are the plants with showy flowers on an ongoing (until they die or decline) basis. Annuals are temporary so most people do not want to construct an entire foundation plant out of them, which would need to be replaced at least yearly. Perennials last from year to year, and can have some lengthy flowering (sometimes not) but die down in winter. It's doubtful that you would want to construct an entire foundation planting scheme based on either perennials or annuals, which are the two categories people would probably be referring to when they use the term "flowers." Instead of saying you want "flowers," determine the plant TYPES you want to have: trees, shrubs, perennials, or annuals. While some people want a perennial garden as a front yard planting scheme, be aware that most perennials have a period of decline, non-flowering and then total absence in winter. Tulips ... Not always, but generally, the alternating planting schemes designed by homeowners, especially inexperienced ones, can appear quite dorky. I would avoid this scheme and place the tulips in a simple block, in a place where they can be easily seen from the street. I wouldn't make it less than 5' x 3'. Pick a single color for the block and use plenty of bulbs (150 - 200). If you use tiny clumps of tulips it will be appear meaningless for a house the size of yours. I would discount the neighbor's comment about the oak tree. Just about any tree can ruin grass, but it usually happens from the shade, not the roots. Keeping the trees properly limbed up as they grow will help a great deal in keeping the grass below them growing. But keep in mind that because plants grow, a landscape is always changing. There are always periodic adjustments to be made along its life. Eventually, a tree may need groundcover below it instead of grass. It's just the way it is.

Deepen the beds front to back and on the left side, I'd swing the bed out at the corner and plant a small tree. Small is the key word here. We don't know where you are, but in my zone it might be a Viburnum prunifolium, Red Bud, or Serviceberry. Low plantings would connect it to the house.

In terms of color, I have a friend with a similar color house and we put in some chartreuse plantings, which really popped against that blue. She had more room than you, but there were spireas (Gold Mounds??), with hostas (Captain Kirks), hakone grass, some creeping gold-leaved euonymous, trying to think of what else. She did have a bit more sun than you, although these may do well in your situation. To offset the chartreuse we had darker greens (some hollies and boxwood) and purples - heuchera, nandina, weigelia, etc. Gold chamycyparis are beautiful too, IMO, but not sure about sun requirements and they might be too big to plant near your foundation - although any shrub probably shouldn't be as close to your foundation as that fence permits, now that I think about it. Charming house! :) Dee

big city location would help .. as z6 is about half the US and rather divergent ... with that darn sidewalk.. [i hate buliders and architects for the lack of imagination in dealing with this] .... if you want any kind of shrubs or conifers.. or small trees... work out into the useless lawn ... with that couple feet of garden bed.. you really dont have space for anything but annuals and perennials inside the walkway .. unless you want to be out there shearing twice a year .. ergo.. you would have to kill me.. before i ever planted box in there ... and if those two shrubs are still by the garage.. get rid of them also ... really.. one of them is square.. whats that all about .. lol ... and im thinking it might be an invasive burning bush ... but that is just a gut reaction... but i just had taco bell.. so take that for what its worth .. lol... maybe my gut is lying to me ...lol .. also.. while its barren .... work that soil off the lattice under the deck ... avoid future problems ... either dirty plastic.. or rooting wood ... and be honest.. is the lawn used for anything other than complaining someone has to mow the lawn every few days ... if not.. start with some nice trees out on the lawn ... make you landscape 3 dimensional.. instead of focusing on a few feet right on the foundation ... never forget..... foundation plants are to hide the foundation.. not to BE PLANTED on the foundation.. thats the root problem with your square shrub ... its a giant plant.. planted when it was a babe.. on the foundation. with no real idea of its future potential ... lets not do that again ... and as part of the 5 year plan.. i would hide the foundation on the extreme right.. and no one wants to look at the basement walls ... do you have two front doors .. reminds me of the old doctors houses in my rural town ... kinda cool ... anyway.. plan and plant your backbones.. trees ... in teh proper planting season ... plan out future shrub locations not in the foundation ... and for this year.. just plant some pretty flowers in teh beds you now have... and if it takes 3 to 5 years.. so be it ... it will be stunning ... if you want the instant gratification.. as embo noted.. just go to big box.. and buy whatever strikes your fancy ... but search out future potential.. before you plant that babe which will end up a 10 foot problem ... ken