Your side garden looks like a very welcoming path. If you can find time, divide the Aspidistras (Cast iron plants) and continue them along the base of the house. If you do that now, you'll practically have it filled in and it will serve as a backdrop for anything else you plant there. Have you seen the tiny blooms at the base of these plants?
I know you shop the big box stores, so watch to see what day Lowe's gets their fresh plants in (at ours, it's Tuesday mornings). The vendors will be marking down the plants that have already bloomed, or look a little dry. That's when to shop the clearance tables. Last year I bought an entire rack of Impatiens, about 100 quart pots, for $25. There were also a few other plants on the rack that I can't remember. We were going to be on a garden tour. Made the backyard bed borders look pretty good! At that price, I didn't have to cry when the drought hit and the Impatiens started melting away.
