If this were your garden what would YOU do with it?

This is one of the things that I fell in love with when we first looked at this house. There is some amazing gardening space!! We moved in July and didn't do very much with the garden because #1 it was freaking hot and #2 we were nearing the end of summer. Now that Springtime is upon us it's time to start thinking about what this garden will become.

Some of the space I have planned out but there is still quite a bit that I am not sure about. What would you do? It's hard to make out the sun/shade areas in the photographs but not much of the area is full sun all day. We have quite a bit of shade (although my roses get a few hours of sun in the morning and seem to be quite content that way). We also have clay soil, we've been told about six inches down.

The raised area in this picture is going to house some herbs. Ones that can tolerate more sun. I have several pots that I am going to do other herbs in so I can move them from sun to shade and inside during winter. Right now I have chives coming back up and an aloe vera plant! There is a plant right in front of that raised bed (just about the center of the picture). I have no idea what it is but it blooms small purple flowers. I will have to get a closer picture of it another time. Eventually I would like to have a small water feature in this space, kind of between the corner of the porch and that raised area. I would like for it to be a two-tiered thing with a small waterfall. Along the front of the porch (in front of the little wheelbarrow planter) I have five Mums (white, yellow, orange).

Here is the rest of that area. This is the space that I am at a loss. I have a love/hate relationship with the grassy bush. I like that it gives some privacy but they are a pain to care for.

A view of the same area but what the street view looks like. Right behind the butterfly is a HUGE maroon Mum. Over by the drain pipe there is a peach-colored Hibiscus that I think I might have overpruned.

This is a closer look in front of the bush. There are four Sedum plants coming back up. There is one tucked back next to the right of the bush and three along the front of the picture. They can stay or they can go or be moved...I don't care.

This is the garden on the other side of the sidewalk. It isn't such a puzzle for me. My plan is to do some Impatients along the house because the soil stays quite moist from the almost constant shade. I have a small white Hibiscus planted in there. I think it's impossible to see but there is a small rose bush near where you see that chair. I am going to put more roses in that area. There is space in the stone edging on either side of the garden (by the chair and at the bottom left where that ornamental grass ends), the plan is to put a little stone walkway through that area. I also have another perennial about four feet to the left of that grass mound (now that ornamental grass I want GONE!!!). I don't remember what it's called but it gets pretty tall and has red flowers on it.

This is the view of the above area looking from the porch. The rounded area there will be pretty easy to fill in with something.

So there you go. The larger area is the one I need more help with!! Discuss!!!