Impossible to suggest without knowing your zone and general location.

Zone 7

In my zone, 6, I would use Geranium macrorrhizum--Big Root Geranium. It's about 8-10 feet tall, evergreen, blooms in spring, easy to establish and maintain, highly weed suppressing and needs no attention at all. Smells good too.

Love the idea of a Japanese Maple. Also, instead for the center would a tiered fountain look good? Would hydrangeas do well in front of the window?

Re my previous post--that should be 8-10 INCHES not feet.

From what I can see of the location, I wouldn't add a tiered fountain, though if I could see the entire front of the house I might change my mind. I see a tiered fountain as belonging in a relatively formal garden and would likely need more space than available there to avoid getting the walkway damp and perhaps slippery. If you want water, look at an overflowing jar water feature instead for a more informal spot like yours.

I'm not fan of fountains at the front of the house, either. It seems more like a backyard thing, to relax near and listen to the trickle of water.

Unless, of course, we are talking about a VERY high-end property, like this.

A Japanese maple would provide a nice focal point, but make sure you get a dwarf or smaller growing variety. I’ve seen a lot of JMs planted in spots too small for them once they grow a bit. Some evergreen perennials that should do well in that location and around the maple include hellebores, lungworts, Christmas fern, hakone grass, mondo grass. Hostas, although not evergreen, are beautiful in the shade — as long as you don’t have a deer problem.