How much sun does the area get in the afternoon? It has a 'shady garden' look to it. What are the plants there now? Do you want to include them or rip out and just start over?

I would advise to stay with low growers so you don't close off the entryway. You are looking for color, right?

the bed in front of the porch gets sun from 2:00 until evening. The rest gets shade or speckled sun from 2:00 until evening. I want to start fresh. I'm pulling everything this weekend and tilling and adding garden mix to get ground ready for new plants.

I think what's there now is loropetalum.

Some color is nice but I like greens also.

Wood ferns don't get too tall and may not fry in the hot afternoon sun with enough moisture. You mentioned ferns and there are a lot of them that like dappled shade, and moisture of course.
Iris would do well in the sun, but the blooms are in the spring, so just seasonal color.

My mind is blanking on what stays short enough to accent without covering the space.
I think that the lorepetalums would be pretty with ferns at their feet, but if you don't like them, you just don't :-)

I have lorapetalum, kaleidoscope abelia and rose creek abelia. They get a lot of shade but sun in the mid to late afternoon. So far so good. These past couple of below freezing days have not hurt them.