I will ask around for a horticulturist, but the people I have asked thus far have only used the 2 Landscappers that I called. From what I’ve read here, I believe most beds around here are way too full.

with your black/charcoal roof, why do the brown mulch? Get the black mulch. will look so much better w/the yellow

these yellow lilies (I think) and the black mulch would look way better w/your house colors

try doing some taller flowering plants between the windows

or bring in some black pebbles or hardscape

Thanks Beth! The mulch is black, but was placed last year. Waiting till we plant to replace and will do black again.
In regards to the tall flowering plant in between the window, I believe TBL suggested the cardinal for there. My question is how to fill up the remainder of the large bed

really? looks so brown!

I've had black mulch that has stayed black for years.

what about some of these yellow flowers, lilies maybe? or some yellow tea roses?

Here’s a better picture to show what I’m asking. The Japanese maple tree is cut off in this picture, but it’s there :) the x is the area I’m confused about.

Lol... it does look brown! It was definitely black and will be redone. Maybe we got cheap mulch 🤷🏻‍♀️

And the Stella D’oro day lilies grow beautiful yellow flowers. Do I add more yellow? I’m laughing at us how clueless we are. Our little corona garden became quite the project!

this flower bed is very similar to your shape

what if you edged the bed w/some type of rock or stone border material? this gives a little interest, and can keep grass from creeping in the bed.

all diff types. i'm just posting a few

you have the hostas, maybe add some coleus or day lilies

add some large boulders or stones, because they add a bit more interest

I like the idea of something taller in the area between the windows

or, maybe some flower boxes

I love the stone edging. We were surprised how much that came out to last year, and preferred to spend more on plants instead. I will look again though as I see it really does add a lot.
I think we are going to start with the boxwood and cardinal. I think the cardinal is beautiful and I love that it will give color in the winter. But, still open to other ideas.
Beth, the beds I love best are the ones with some symmetry. This one is actually a favorite that I based this bed off of, but I ended up moving the Japanese maple so that the leaves don’t eventually block the window.
Thanks again for all your help everyone!

Sorry, Houzz is annoying lately with posting pictures. The picture I’m referring to is the third in the last post, with the boxwoods and hostas surrounding the shrub.

Great photos Beth. This is what I was talking about way back when. Coleus would add loads of color and personality. What I like to do is layout basic pieces (just like inside) then add perennials I can afford then add annuals for color. Boulders are wonderful for texture and I love finding low flat rocks and then train Blue Rug Junipers to drape over them. It creates beautiful look.

Go to good nursery not big box plant store and find great ideas and plants you can add to your basics. They are also great places to get great advice on what would work best in your particular lighting and soil conditions. Plus, it is so fun!!

Ok. Planning date night at a nursery I found. Maybe I should leave husband behind because he likes to do everything fast. As you can tell, I don’t work that way 🙈 the more I look into the cardinal, the more I like it. It does require work though. Trying to find a picture of it in full bloom, but I only see red stems with a few leaves. Is that full bloom? I thought @TBL from MA had mentioned that it’s only red in the winter so I’m confused. And what size am I looking for? That and another boxwood will be basics flo. Will try to have fun with the rest 😉

If your husband likes to buy quickly and you want to browse, that probably won't work out well. Instead, make an appointment with someone at the nursery so that someone will be available to answer your questions.

Cornus alba 'Elegantissima' is a red-stemmed dogwood variety with variegated leaves. Another variety is Arctic Fire which is slightly smaller. But you'll have to prune them all back to keep the red stems, otherwise they get overgrown and brown. The stems are red all year but you really see it in the winter when the stems are bare. The flowers are small and white, not really much to see at all. That's why you don't see any pictures of them.

Here is a photo of how a typical cornus sericea would look in leaf. This one is a variegated cultivar.

@TBL from MA, thank you again. That picture is very helpful, as it looks a little plain. Hoping to find the ruby spice instead.

Any specifications I should be careful to look for?

And thanks partim, I’ll probably end up going alone 😉

Are the leaves of ruby spice yellow in the fall? Is this it in the fall?

Yes, in the summer Ruby Spice leaves are green not yellow. As the picture caption says, this is the fall colour.

You seem to be a bit stressed trying to pick just the right shrubs and put them in just the right spot. Can I suggest something that might take off a bit of the pressure?

Plan to put in some annuals. No big investment in cost, and no need to wonder if you have them in the perfect spot. If you like it, buy it and plant it again next year in the same spot. If not, try something else or a different location. Sounds like you have afternoon sun which is perfect for annuals that bloom well in part sun to part shade. Here are some that have worked for me.

- Someone above suggested coleus for summer colour in the shade. Great idea. Inexpensive (since they are annuals) and the colour is all summer, not dependent on blooming. Definitely have some of these.

- White sweet alyssum is a plant that also provides bloom in the shade. Low growing, and smells nice. Comes in purple too but I like the white.

- Cleome (spider flower) is tall and airy. Comes in lots of different colours or stick with the white theme.

Thanks Partim! I appreciate the advice. Not stressed, this is just the way I do things.. I overthink everything 🙈 but, I am very excited about the ruby spice. I like that the leaves are yellow in the fall and the flowers that bloom in the summer. Would love to do another ruby spice on the other side of the fence, but not sure if there is enough room. I plan to only add the ruby spice and another boxwood now. If too difficult a decision after those two main things, will stick with annuals. Thank you!

At the nursery now. Found the ruby spice and another boxwood. The guy here recommended a steed for the other side of the steps. The area is 6’ deep by 40” wide. Thoughts?

He said their conical shape would work well for that area

This

Or an orange rocket barberry?

This is what I have now. So I plant the ruby spice 3’ feet from the house so that it is in a line with the boxwood? Or should it be more forward? Will obviously need to remove the two hostas.

Holly and barberry are both really prickly plants that I wouldn't love near the door. Also might cover the window there. Congratulations on finding the Clethra, that will be a showstopper in the fall.

Stay away from the straight lines! I know your mind wants everything orderly and lined up but it will be more pleasing to your eye if you allow the mature size of the plant and the distance to the home and other plants to dictate where it should go. The ruby spice may become 5' in width so it needs some space. It wants to be a superstar plant so give it the space to shine.

I'm sorry that the deer ate the hostas and daylilies. They do that in my neighborhood too so I have moved mine inside my fenced backyard.

Thanks @PKponder TX Z7B! I didn’t know that. The barberry is so pretty!
Do you think we should plant the clethra in a straight row with the boxwoods? Will 3’ from the house give it sufficient space to grow? I was planning on putting the last boxwood under the last window to mimic the others, but I can spread it out more... but, the front of the bed is still empty. The guy at the nursery wasn’t sure what to put there.

Here are some things I’m consider adding to the bed. As of now, my plan is to place the boxwood under the window and the clethra in between the two windows, but in the same row as the boxwoods. Thinking about adding:

1. EMERALD ‘N GOLD EUONYMUS. These only grow to one to two feet high so thinking they would be a good replacement for some of the hostas. They are wider than the hostas, supposably growing to 3-4’ wide.
2. MY MONET WEIGELA -grow 12-18” tall and 18-24” wide
   I can also just place them in front of the hostas (would likely copy the circular pattern of the hostas?) as the string is thus far keeping the deer away (for the most part). Both say they are deer resistant.

I finally made it to the nursery yesterday and one person there was incredibly helpful. We will be removing the hostas so please disregard those. This is what I have now.. any thoughts. One thing I am thinking is that the left side has so much yellow, and the right side has very little. Considering adding a few of the ornamental grasses in front of the steps. Would love to hear some opinions.

Plants purchased

And set up:

And, @Beth H. : my husband reminded me that we went with brown mulch as the roof was brown. Will replace with black when planting is done.

Tall items (grasses) anchor corners not porches. But they would be beautiful on your outer edges but leave them plenty of room. At least 6’ perimeter. Black mulch is dyed not natural and isn’t usually good for plants. Your mulch is fine in browns. A nice natural look. Varying color is pleasing. I am more inclined to use Purple Fountain Grass with variegated lower clump grasses that are hardy for your zone.

Thanks flo. I used the wrong word.. don’t know where “grasses” came from. I was trying to stick with yellows, greens, and purples/ maroon, but I may have overdone it. We may remove the day lilies as the deer randomly eat those too. Put the golden variegated sweet flag in place of the day lilies. Then put something green or maroon where the sweet flag is currently placed. Or, we may leave it like this and put three of the sweet flag in front of the steps. Which do you prefer?

This is an old picture that includes in front of the steps...

A tip I would give you is cluster plants together more. Long single plantings make things look sparse. Intersperse with large boulders to ground the beds visually. Use different heights to create interest and break up long lines of the house. I will post some photos later to help you visually. You have to check on hardy plant materials for your zone. Most nurseries carry what lives best because they usually guarantee them.

Good ideas here.

Idk if this is welcome to say -- but with grey roof and siding color I don't favor yellow-greens. The deep maroons was it seems better.

Have you seen red-twigged dogwood shrubs? more distance from a house though.

https://gardengoodsdirect.com/products/distylium-blue-cascade?variant=22672837345344&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&msclkid=85fb2ec958ed1d3e08b14e55d7666542

What should mature height of window plantings be? I like those you've placed.

https://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/a26136825/boxwood-shrubs/

Thanks flo and everdebz. The roof is dark gray, almost black, and I am weighing heavily towards blue siding. That is being redone soon. Which is why I stuck with the yellow and maroon colors. I am thinking of also adding an ornamental tree further up in the property.

Red flowers in later winter - Often for border of property -

Distylium - cold hardy, rabbit, deer, disease and insect resistant.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=boxwood+cherry&&view=detail&mid=969A0F66D71FA6B629F8969A0F66D71FA6B629F8&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dboxwood%2Bcherry%26%26FORM%3DVDVVXX

Siding first !?

I can’t. We are moving a window in the back first and the siding probably won’t happen for a while. But, honestly, we did the roof and the landscaping was fine. 😬

Flo- Nice pics!

What is the white stuff to the right of the white pumpkins?

Thanks flo!
The nursery recommended I not cluster things too much to allow room for everything to grow. They did warn me that it will look sparse for a year or two.

You can cluster and leave some room for growth. Landscaping and gardening are forever changing. But you want a more completed look from day one. You can always move plants too. Cluster a taller evergreen, with a next height holly and tucked between a flowering plant like Today, Yesterday and tomorrow. Put a moss rock in cluster for texture. I’ll pull a look together for you.

This is structure you need for your house. It will take 5 years for growth to over grow this area with proper trimming each year. You need more height and variations for this to work. You don’t need a bunch of low plants. You need a couple taller, a couple mid height and a couple lower. Don’t spread a bunch of low plants out. You are better off having 4 clusters to start. One on each end of house (end area) and one beside each side of porch leaving breathing room from your foundation.