hi all, first time home owner here getting ready to take out the old shurbs and add new. we have young twins so looking for easy maintenance. were in MD and the yard gets both sun and shade and gets wet when it rains but no standing puddles or anything. we want to be sure not to block the basement window. We got some great advice on how we could add beds and new walkway to spruce up our curb appeal on here, but are thinking of skipping the beds and doing shrubs to both save on cost and maintenance (we still want to redo the walkway). We went to a master gardner clinic and asked their advice on plants, they suggested...

1. remove everything thats currently in the front of the house
2. plant 3 glossy abelias, the smaller kind that dont grow much past 3 feet, under the porch
3. plant 1 dwarf oakleaf hydrangea in between the stairs and the basement window (i like hydrangeas but we talked about a lower maintenance version)
4. plant a castle spire holly on the right of the basement window to add some height there

when i posted before people suggested posting again when i was ready to ask for advice on plants. I'd be curious if you have any further ideas or advice!