It's a shame that no one has responded to your post. I don't know that I have any great ideas either, especially without seeing the site. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and being there is like a million. Are you thinking of dwarf conifers or broadleaf evergreen shrubs or both? And, just how small are you wanting? Since you describe the planting as interspersed, I'm wondering if the shrubs need to be fairly low. The other thing that caught my attention is that you said it was at the lake's edge, but, since you are growing daylilies, I imagine you have good drainage and the soil doesn't stay wet in the beds.

You might want to try various forums (Landscape Design, Shrubs, etc), with a little more background info, for ideas. I think you might get more response here if it were spring or summer. This time of year gets pretty slow for some reason.