Everygreens would be nice and for summer color you could add impatiens on the shady side and wave petunias on the sunny side.

Also pretty and easy would be a mix of coleus - affordable, too! Check out the rosydawngardens dot com website for a huge variety of coleus. Put those that can handle sun on the outside and the shade loving varieties on the inside. At each end and in the center put your favorite herbs. You might even be able to heavily mulch them and keep some alive through the winter.

Another idea: sink a water-tight container in the center of the plantings that you can turn into a water garden. 2feetx2feetx2feet would be a great size. Add a couple water lettuce and a horsetail, along with a couple goldfish, and it would be a stunning focal point all year. If you want the sound of water, add a small fountain.

Kate

Here are some of the evergreens I use:

One that will tolerate sun AND shade: Heuchera - Coral Bells. There are some very interesting foliage colors, and they flower, too. No fragrance, unfortunately. They are tough, and easy to grow. I love them.

For the shady parts, what about some small Rhododendron/Azalea?

To add some texture, what about Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass) in the shade, and Festuca glauca (Blue fescue) for the sun. Liriope too, perhaps.

Groundcovers? What about some Fragaria chiloensis (Beach Strawberry) mixed with Potentilla neumanniana. I do this, and it looks cool.

Need some vertical accents? Lots to choose from, but in the shade you could consider Fatsia japonica, Rhododendron, Aspidistra elatior, Camellia, for example. In the sun, maybe Buddleja (Butterfly Bush, though not always reliably evergreen), Acanthus mollis (Bear's Breach, sink the whole container in the soil; this one can spread), etc.

Just some suggestions of different sorts of plants. I'm sure you'll get others.

Cheers

Thanks for the fountain idea. I already have a big chunk of pond liner. That would be fun.
I also love the idea of the grasses but this building is fairly formal, so I think something more structured would be nice. I guess I just have to cruise down to the garden center and see what they have.

Blue fescue is a clumping grass that can look very formal, as it does not spread like turf. For other plants that have a grass-like, formal clumping habits (though they are not necessarily grasses), consider Agapanthus, Hemerocallis, Kniphofia, Liriope, Crocosmia, to name only a few.

Clumping plants with grassy, strap-like leaves make nice accents even in formal settings.

Have fun.