First off, it would be a good start to know where your garden is located, so people could actually give advice on transitional seasonal color effects that work in your zone. Bulbs might be a useful spring burst of color, and spring bulbs that reliably return each spring might rely more on basics such as more reliable daffodils and Muscari, which pretty much work across the country.Removing a portion of the lawn adjacent the existing foundation shrubs and adding a low growing ground cover and bulbs might be a good start. Lower growing spring or summer flowering shrubs could also be added as a foreground framing the existing shrubs at the house. Personally I think it would be more interesting to add a few larger growing mounding low perennials or arching flowering shrubs with ground cover out at the mailbox, rather than a bed of all one type of annuals, something like dwarf Spiraea or Weigelia or similar. If you did want annuals in that spot, something taller and lacier such as Cosmos or Cleome or Nicotiana would look good there. There are also plenty of useful summer flowering shrubs such as Hibiscus syriacus or Philadelphus, or spring flowering herbaceous perennials such as Paeonies or Oriental poppies that could be used for seasonal color. Perennial asters and chrysanthemums are classic fall color effects, along with shrubs that give fall color. As to tree placement, it would make more sense to look at tree locations based on views from the house as well as from the street. Framing the house at each side and again at the street seems very static and may not frame or screen views from the house or elsewhere in the front garden, nor give shade where it makes the most sense. Not enough information given to really help with tree placement, and in my opinion tree locations, sizes and types should be based on much more than just this one street view of the house. If you have a good local or regional botanical garden near you, they are almost always a good venue to get ideas of plant/tree choices for different seasons that actually work. Photoshopped photos may be a starting point to help you visualize possibilities, but aren't as good as seeing the real thing to know how it will actually look. I also notice that Yard's revised foundation planting scheme that emphasizes formal symmetry centered on the 3 front windows has inadvertently planted up your entry walk; something you won't likely want to do...

What a nice space for a garden. I like the rock wall. What kind of light does this area get? Dappled sun and shade all year like in the photo, or either more sun or more shade during the growing season? What is your soil like? I find it difficult to tell how large the area is, so a ballpark estimate would help to tell what there is space for. I'd start with removing any non-garden plants growing here and then mulch (cardboard with cut-outs for the hosta with an organic mulch like chopped leaves or wood chips on top) and weed a lot the first year so that when you add plants your weeding and maintenance will be minimal. Since this area will be visible as folks go in and out of the door, having plants with year-round interest and/or some ornament such as sculpture or a birdbath will be important in making this area appealing. I think I would try to plant mostly lower growing items in the front part of the garden, or at least airy plants so that the stone wall is a visible feature. If some of these are evergreen/gold/red, they will provide interest in the winter. In the upper part behind the stone wall, if there is room I'd add background plants with year round interest such as a colored foliage evergreen, and /or variegated red-twigged dogwood, ones that would stand out well against the light walls. With any woody plants, check the ultimate size and be sure you have room to paint or do maintenance behind it if it isn't a plant like the dogwoods which don't mind being cut to the ground. If there is enough light, a pretty trellis with a clematis that gets cut back in the winter (type 3 pruning) would feature the clematis in the growing season and the trellis in the winter. I would probably put a row of low-growing or easily pruned evergreens such as one of the smaller boxwood varieties under the window to provide winter interest and then plant the rest of the area with perennials to give you more interest in the growing season. Particularly in a smaller garden such as this that is in such a prominent place, thinking about varying the foliage color and texture (as you are doing in thinking about adding coral bells) will help add interest to the garden when there aren't many blooms. In addition to the library as a resource, Pennsylvania has public gardens that might give you inspiration, both for plants and for design. Here is a link that might be useful: Pennsylvania public gardens

That far wall is just painted an ugly copper like color, i prefer to drywall it up, there are no doors on that wall, it doesnt go to anywhere. The front door is that wood door where the boxes are in the picture. That is a swimming pool outside of those patio doors, that area is where the dining room will be though. Those sliding glass doors will be french door sliding doors soon. I would like to make the space a more formal living area, I do like the idea of a bar and then 4 chairs with a cocktail table in the middle, should I also maybe included a rug in the space? The problem that I'm having is how to actually layout the formal space, meaning where do I place everything in the room so that it looks clean, modern, and not out of place. The new front door will be white with glass, when that is installed the door that will open will be further away from the copper looking wall and the doors open outward not into the house, so maybe I should put some type of long modern buffet type piece against that copper looking wall?

I would start with hardscaping to create a little mystery and anticipation in that flat plain. For example, you don't need to know much about masonry to lay out and construct a curvaceous and intriguing path of dry-laid brick or flagstone with perhaps an arbor to mark an entrance, a berm or speciman boulders to add some contour. Once you have the backbone in, other ideas begin to suggest themselves - such as a serpentine border of low groundcover along the path, a vine climbing up the arbor, plants with complementary foliage paired with the rocks, and shrubs or grasses to coyly disguise your path's progress (where does it go next? let's follow it and see!)