I am gardening in the Midwest as well. Not everything sold to me has been successful, others have flourished. All my experiences are on www.yardpace.org Stay away from anything that likes too much water, (expensive) and anything that requires acid soil e.g rhododendrons, azaleas.(too much hassle) Try to attract wildlife, butterflies etc. and fence up or the bunnies will eat your plants and thus your wallet. Here is a link that might be useful: yardspace

Hi there! I can't say I'm an expert, but I've been a VA gardener for a lot of years, so I'll try to offer some suggestions. For the front, for year-round interest you may want to consider a mix of small/med shrubs at the back to serve as the 'bones' of the bed, and then a mix of perennials and annuals towards the front. This is known as a mixed bed, and usually looks great with a good mix of foliage types, colors and shapes. You'll probably want to mix evergreen and deciduous shrubs for year round interest and foliage types, and may find that a small tree set towards one edge helps balance the bed. For both flowering and foliage, a mix of spring, summer and fall blooming perennials makes it interesting as the year progresses, but remember that perennials take a few years to get established. That's where Annuals come in - they're great at providing color spring to fall, and help to fill the gaps in a new garden while the perennials are growing in. For the pathways, a fantastic perennial that stays evergreen, comes in various foliage colors, produces summer blooms and fall berries, and is almost impossible to accidentally kill here in VA is liriope. It can take drought and wet, fills in via runners so makes a lush display, and if it gets in the grass you just mow it along with the grass. Re the roses along the fence - in this area, black spot and mildew are big problems, so if you don't want to have to spray poisons, be ready to look at a lush rosebush in the spring looking pretty bare of leaves by mid-summer. I hate to use poisons, and i do have roses, but I tuck them into mixed beds so the ravages of Black spot and such aren't so noticeable. How tall do you want the fence plants to be? Maybe a stand of mixed daylillies and companions would work there, with maybe a few flowering small bushes? Regarding the specific perennials and bushes, the part of Va you live in makes a difference. Southern Va (Tidewater) is a full plant zone warmer than Northern Va (DC Metro). Up here in NoVa I can now grow peonies, where I could never get them to grow well in Tidewater, but there are some bushes I grew in Tidewater that won't live through the winter here in NoVa, too. In general, the bushes and such at Lowes and Home Depot are usually good picks for your climate, but be sure to read the label to verify that it's rated for your area - I've seen them sell tender perennials in spring that I know won't live through winter. Good luck with your garden , but be warned - gardening can quickly become a healthy obsession! :-)

Until you post the plan of the whole floor, here's an idea. I'm thinking a 30" deep counter in front of the low window to give you more room for prep and help avoid things falling off the counter. Here mama goose posted some pictures/links about sink/counters in front of low windows that you can find useful. I'm not sure about the beam, so I tried to avoid a tall cab under it, but if possible, I'd consider pantry on the dining table side, then fridge and a continuous counter on the entry side. The narrow cab on the right of the prep sink can be trash and can be used both during prep and cleanup.

From this point forward, please have an overall plan before you get or do anything (for a unified look). First order of business is to figure out what style you have. Put in top search box different styles, one at a time. Examples are casual and transitional. I don't know about you, but if I had the choice of looking at a blank wall or looking at a window view, I would chose the window view. Therefore, I recommend that you flip that couch to the other wall. How about some tiny side table on each side of the couch, and an upholstered chair? How many people usually sit in this room? I would add a rug as well. Make sure it's big enough to have at least the front legs of each seated unit on the rug. Lighting is often an afterthought, but it's actually very important for atmosphere and practicality. I recommend a table lamp or wall sconce in each corner at chest height. Do you have any inspirational items to give you ideas, such as a favorite clothing item, accessory, or knick knack? How about some art for the walls? Get from your local artist, art gallery, or art.com. If you get a print from art.com, get it framed locally. If you like to match the interior of the house to the exterior, here are some ideas: https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/cape-cod-interior/nqrwns