I think I'd treat the brick planter like a window box - just a REALLY big one. With it being 1.5' front-to-back, you could have room for some trailing annuals to drip over the front & then shorter flowering annuals behind those. The hosta I would move to the ground just below where they are now, they will fill in that corner between the house & porch nicely, or your could move one of the shrubs there for a nice anchor and use the hosta in front of the porch bed. The blueberry bush should be moved for a couple reasons: 1) Some varieties get to be 5' wide and 6' tall (or more). 2) You will probably want to have another bush for cross pollination 3) You'll have to cover them with netting if you want to get any blueberries - otherwise birds eat them all and leave purple presents behind. For the walkway bed, you have a great opportunity to highlight some really beautiful flowers. You can use things that look great up close like poppies (interesting foliage until they go dormant) or heuchera (really interesting foliage) or globe thistle (echinops). I'd keep them all pretty short, though, with the bulk of the foliage at 18" or so and just allowing flower spikes to climb higher. Along the edge of the walkway bed, consider something low and soft that would spill over onto your walkway. Could be Veronica, phlox, creeping sedum, whatever will enjoy the type of soil & amount of sun you have here. First, though, I'd start with a print out of this picture and see what shades of green & what flower colors you find pleasing against the brick. Let that be your guide for your plant choices (along with the zone, soil, sun, and water requirements, of course!).

Contact your local office of the University of Arkansas USDA Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done so you have plenty of time to properly amend the soil in those beds, if that is needed. You might also want to dig in with these simple soil tests to get a better idea of what you do have, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. although I'd not yet expect much in the soil life test, yet.

Morpheus, thanks for your input and personal experience! As a follow up, I overseeded the entire lawn (not just bed area) while I was at it. I know overseeding is best done in fall but the lawn is surrounded by tall trees and wanted to give it a shot while I had the compost and seed. The new seedlings are about 1-2 inches tall right now and the pre-existing grass is 3-4 inches. My plan is to give the yard it's first mow when the seedlings are 3-4 inches (the mature grass might be 5-6 inches high by then). Is it ok to let the existing grass that high or would you suggest mowing a bit earlier? Also, I usually mulch my grass with mower but should I bag on first cut since the clippings will be so substantial? Thanks again!

Yellowing foliage can indicate a lot of things........too much water, not enough water, a nutrient deficiency or possibly over-fertilization. It can also indicate a disease problem. There is really no way to tell what is the cause without photos and more detail of the after-planting care.