Help save my front yard!

[bigelow965]

Just joined the board here and I'm hoping to get some good advice to make the front and sides of my house look really good. I've let it go for too long and even though it's a little late already this season to be planting bushes I want to go ahead and get it done this year once and for all. If I put it off another year who know how long it'll take. Here's some pictures of what's there now...

House faces ESE so I'm facing the sun when it comes up. Looking from the front the left side of the house gets sun a lot of the day, filtered until 2P but then full sun for the next 5 hours, then filtered the last 2. The front sees filtered sun until around 2P then it's in the house's shadow for the rest of the day. Right side where's there's just nothing except those really ugly windows that need covering gets practically no sun at all. I'd consider that side 100% shade all day. Central Kentucky Zone 6 so the summers here get up into the mid and sometimes upper nineties in July and August.

Don't know what to say other than that obviously I'm totally new to landscaping and could use some good advice on what I can put around my house that'll make it look good, if not great. Although I'm interested in suggestions for all 3 sides of the place, since the left side has a little something there already (and because I'm in a hurry) for now I'd like to concentrate on just getting something up front, and then on the right side after that. Keeping it simple in the front I'll be installing a new wood bordered raised bed, about 7 inchs on both sides of the front door. Our soil is hard packed and I think fairly nutrient deficient so a raised bed of nutrient rich soil is probably the best bet for establishing anything new out there. Not sure where to source the dirt though. Bags of miracle grow soil would be ideal if they weren't so expensive. I've got a trailer so hopefully that'll open my sources up to maybe some kind of wholesale landscape dealer. I've heard the old rule always plant bushes in odd numbers so I'm thinking about 3 bushes on each side of the front door. I was initially drawn to some of the box woods because they can do well in shady circumstances. But because they'll be shaded much of they day I'm sure that kind of thin leaved evergreen won't grow fast enough to fill the space any time soon. So I'm very open to suggestions as to what might go well and fill out fast in the front. Priorities are that it be green throughout the year, grow fast, and hopefully be as entertaining as possible, with color etc. And as for the right side I am entirely open to your suggestions as well.

Well now ok I've finally done something to get this thing going. I'm all ears.

 

[RonsGarden]

Wow! You are not asking much!!
First off you should dig over the areas you want to plant and prepare/amend the soil.
Add compost, and well aged manure and work it into the soil. You can usually get compost from your town or city if they have a composting facility.
The more you add the better off the plants will be in the long term. Allow time for the soil to settle!
If the existing soil is clay, add lime, crushed limestone is best. Add this before you add the compost and manure.
As to plants....if you want plants that grow fast they will be considered high maintenance, if you are looking for ones that are low maintenance they grow slowly and need little care except the occasional clippings and pruning.

As for evergreens: Boxwoods grow slowly....as do azaleas and rhododendrons (for color), azaleas tend to be deciduous.
You can look at some of the cedars, there are some good ones that have yellow/golden foliage that will fit in nicely! They will need to be clipped once they get to the height you want, around once per year.
Euonymus are a great multi purpose evergreen that can be a small tree, bush, or creeper, check you local gardening centres and look for multi colored foliaged ones. You will need to prune them to keep them in check, but look super when mixed in with other perennials.

If you have more questions feel free to ask!