If it was I to decide, I would definitely not plant a red leaved tree in front of this house. Nor coral bells. Nor Rhododendron catawbiense. They would be just invisible, as if they were not there. Unless it is the idea, that the plants should totally blend in with the house.

LOL, I think we could all just start putting up photos of plants we like and stop messing with the real thing. ;-)

Actually, I like everything about your design concept EXCEPT the purple color. To me, its kind of washes out, as wieslaw 59 suggests. Just blends a lot into the background, BUT OTOH it does coordinate very well with the colors in the door, the shingles over the bay window, and the dark accent trim. Don't let what anyone else thinks determine what you ultimately do, though, do what pleases yourself and your family.

I just love some of the new coral bells. The foliage is stunning, and there is enough of a diversity of color that you could find something to please your senses. Coral bells are also a very well-behaved plant, so I think that would be a good choice for your site.

What about contrasting the color tones of the brick and the door with some yellow/cream or chartreuse shades? I can't tell from your photo is you would get enough sun for a variegated yucca, but I think one like Y. filamentosa 'Color Guard' would also be nice in there, also well-mannered and not wildly out of control like some plants. It would need about 5-6 hours of sun, though.

Sea Oats is a well-behaved ornamental grass. There is a new variegated one this year called 'River Mist' that is really nice from what I can tell, I haven't bought one yet. This grass does well in partial shade.

Some of the Bleeding Hearts have a longer blooming period and tolerate a good deal of shade or semi-shade. If you do want to go with some of the purple shades, there are many good new perennial geraniums with longer blooming periods, and some have variegated foliage in contrasting colors, and most of those do well in partial shade.

Are the rounded shrubs going to be boxwoods? Also a good choice for that location. The spiral topiary would have to be evaluated in terms of sunlight, both junipers and Alberta spruce which are commonly done in this style would need at least the same 5-6 hours of light as a yucca. You probably could find something else with the same look that would tolerate more shade, but probably only at a specialty nursery, not at a big box.

I would replace the red maple with shockingly chartreuse maple, or light apple green. And something with gold leaves.

LOL, it took me a bit to realize those were only pictures of plants in front of your house! I was a bit confused as to why you were asking when the plants were already there! Denninmi has an idea there - my house might look a lot better if I put up some big photos of plants in front of it instead of what's there now, lol. I'm far enough from the street that it just might work...

I too like the overall design, and I don't mind the purple so much (but then, it's one of my favorite colors in the garden!). But perhaps a white rhodie instead? Especially if there is shade and more shade to come from a small tree right in front of it.

I agree the red maple would blend in too well. And this is probably against your husband's sensibilities, but I would love to see some kind of cascading bloomer all along that wall! It is a bit deep across the top of the wall, but I still think something hanging over it would be beautiful and soften the wall and the brick. Lots of hard stone going on there.

What is the size of the bed? A bit hard to tell from the photo.

Dee

Size is hard to tell from the photo. Is there really room for two large plants at that corner, the maple and the rhodo?

One of the variegated Hakonechloa would look good weeping over the wall. I agree that chartreuse or white would look better with the house than purple.

If you DH really wants individual plants, the spacing is going to have to be fairly big between them. So room for a lot fewer.

too funny Diggerdee and Denninmi, I've been having too much fun cutting/pasting pics over the photo of my house to try and see what things might look like. Wieslaw59, I do want a look that coordinates/compliments, but not something that blends into the background either. I hadn't thought of that.

For the evergreens, I am thinking boxwood all around - the 3 balls and the topiaries.

The dimensions are 2.2W x 4.5D and 13W x 4.5D (approx). A landscaper had recommended the rhodo, hydrangea or azalea where the wall goes back further due to the bay window behind the maple idea.

I'm thinking that 4.5 feet is not enough for a tree and a shrub, at least not a shrub the size of a rhodie, one behind the other... you may have to chose one or the other to fit in the end of that bed, I think.

I'm going to have to try that cutting and pasting thing. Not only does it seem fun, but I guess it's a fairly good way to see what something might look like, at least to someone like me who needs that visual reinforcement.

Dee

I think boxwood topiary would be an excellent idea for the semi-shade. I'm a big boxwood fan anyway, you can't really kill it. I have one poor bush that looks like a doughnut now because something chewed the center out, but it keeps going.

There are several choices of dwarf rhododendrons that would stay much smaller but still serve the purpose.

Experience has taught me that those masonary retaining walls almost always affect the PH of the soil. This would not be a problem for the boxwood or maple, but could be for the Rhododendron. I recommend a soil test before you try an acid loving plant.
Daylillies, the Japanese Forest grass suggested already, or hosta could all be used and are easy to grow (if you don't have too many voles).