You want to pick something you can plant and forget. Japanese maples are very sensitive to root disruption so you want to avoid any unnecessary cultivation in that area. Some sort of low spreading evergreen groundcover would be best. Just a designation of a zone 7 location is not very specific - that covers a lot of very divergent territory. Can you let us know a general geographical area so we can offer the best suggestions?

Evergreens can also be deer food so be sure and have this conversation with your local nursery. They could advise you best.

Some - but by no means all - evergreens can be deer food. More are unappealing to them than those they favor.

Nothing to do with your question, but it looks like your air conditioner unit is in full sun. Planting a tree to shade it in summer would help it to work more efficiently, and shading that hot wall will help too..

We live in southern Maryland. Thanks for the insight about the A/C!

Pachysandra is a good evergreen ground cover that the deer to not eat. I am in Northern Maryland and have lots of deer and pachysandra. They also do not eat periwinkle, but that is not really evergreen, at least not where I live. Both can be aggressive.

A weeping red lace maple is a work of art. I wouldn't want a busy arrangement of plants beneath it that would distract from the beauty of the tree. Pachysandra or ajuga would be my choice.

Try moss phlox. It should be deer resistant and is pretty close to evergreen. It will stay green under the snow, but very cold wind can dry it out a bit.

The OP is in southern Maryland - snow is scant most years.

If they are in Maryland, it might not get cold enough to the moss phlox to become wind-burned in the winter.

Vinca stays evergreens has pretty flowers in the spring and in my yard deer don't touch it . It is easy to grow and needs very liitle care ever except maybe keeping it out of the grass with some kind of metal edging that goes down into the ground a bit Vinca is periwinkle I live where it gets down to -20 c in the winter and always stays green.

Vinca is invasive in Maryland, please don't consider it.

Definitely use something short. You don't want to take away from the beauty of that tree. I'm not sure how things grow in your area, but consider a short ornamental grass that will work with your zone and sun exposure. Not sure if liriope would fit the bill.

Thank you all for your comments. The pachysandra's foliage is attractive, and I can use the existing stone to keep it contained in the front. Should I extend the plant along the side? Or go with the roses? (Phlox also very attractive; I’ve used it along a hill in my backyard. I think the rabbits liked it, too.)

Regarding coverage, I have similar concerns about crowding the space with larger plants. I’m in love with the foliage. The main reason for considering taller plants was to hide the pruning errors around the trunk. You probably can’t tell from the picture, but the trunk really stands out, mistakes and all. Ideally, I would love for the branches to weep to the ground, but there's limited space for the canopy to expand so it can weep. I suppose it’s too late to train the branches. Any thoughts? We're in 7b, about 35 minutes from Washington.

The entire side yard needs refreshing, starting with the unkempt bed with the dogwood and red maple. It really looks like the trees were plopped in with no thought, and plopping in more shrubs will exacerbate the situation.

You have a large formal home which needs planned landscaping. Maybe you just want to plant a large shade tree further out in the yard to screen the large expanse of plain siding from view and concentrate on that front bed.

Please provide a photo so we can see how that front bed fits in with the rest and how much room there is on the side of the house to the street.

Have you considered building a wooden screen to hide the utilities on the side? There's a lot going on there and I'd be reluctant to do much planting because workmen will need access periodically. What I'd do is plant a large interesting evergreen tree on that lawn, maybe a cedrus libani. See what treasures your local nursery holds.

Yes, we’ve considered installing a screen to conceal the utility lines, but the space is tight.

Every garden has its story, and ours continues to evolve with care and consideration.

Regarding the comment about the flower bed-- it's unfortunate that its current state was misinterpreted. I'll provide some context. Our gardener is awaiting our decision about the corner and side areas before proceeding with our annual spring refresh of the entire yard.

The flower bed was meticulously designed around the Bloodgood Japanese maple by a reputable gardening and landscaping company more than two decades ago. The bed had a mature sunset maple which we lost over the winter. We’ve had a few other challenges that have necessitated adjustments, but we have not randomly placed plants. The dogwood spontaneously grew. It complements the Bloodgood beautifully and we are glad we never attempted to relocate it. Last fall, I divided a large group of liriope and used a small area of the bed as a temporary nursery. I’ve been giving them away this spring, so perhaps the few that remain might appear to have been “plopped” there.

Like many homes in the area, there’s limited space between property lines. The maple was not effective in concealing the corner view of the house from the street.

Yes, we've considered installing a screen to conceal the utility lines, but the space is tight.

I'm thinking of a rectangular wooden panel mounted with hinges on a post which would fasten to another post like a gate. It would conceal the HVAC and meters, swinging open to allow lawn maintenance or contractor access.