Curlgirl's advice about not planting until you have done any painting, repair, or roofing is spot on. I know it's difficult to wait (it was 5 years of waiting for me after we bought our old house) but it is well worth it to avoid damage. Are you aware that there is a perennials forum, a Shrubs forum, a New England Gardening forum, and a Landscape Design forum all over on the Garden Web side of things? You can get both plant and design advice there as well as here. I would find it useful to have you go and stand out by the street (or property line if this is a side entry) about opposite the main door and take one photo head on, one of what you see when pivoting to the right (with a bit of overlap with the center photo), and one of what you see when pivoting to the left (with overlap) to give an idea of the whole view and how the dooryard fits into it. Currently I am not sure of the fence style and why it will be put there. Does it turn the corner and run parallel to the front of the house? Does it have a functional purpose or is it there for ornament? Would you consider one on the left side as well? Gardenmaid has given you a good list of plants that will be happy in zone 6 MA in part shade. Climbing Hydrangea is probably too big for that spot (it's a narrow chimney) since it needs a substantial support like a large wall, other masonry surface, or tree trunk since it can grow 30' or 40' and more than 10' wide given a surface to cling to. You don't want it growing on your wooden clapboards as it will damage them. However, there are three species of Hydrangea shrubs that will do well in part-day or bright shade: H.quercifolia AKA oak leaf hydrangea, H. arborescens (Annabelle, Incrediball among others) and H. macrophylla AKA big leafed hydrangea as well as the quite similar H. serrata. H. arborescens is hardy to zone 3, but will sucker some and need annual removal of suckers to keep it in bounds. Here's my Annabelle after letting her get out of control. Blooms start some time in June and continue all summer and into the fall. For the big-leafed hydrangeas (both macrophylla and serrata), be sure to get ones that are reblooming so that if a late frost or especially cold winter kills back the buds that you will still get summer bloom. There are lots of reblooming varieties available, both mopheads like the 'Let's Dance' series 'Forever and Ever' series and lacecaps like 'Tough Stuff'. They don't sucker. Oak-leaf hydrangeas don't grow around me, but should be fine for you. Ask on the Hydrangea forum or the shrubs forum for more info. Some other perennials to look at: Leucosceptrum 'Gold Angel' has gold to chartreuse foliage and is 2 1/2' tall with flowers that are small, so the foliage is the real ornament Solomon's seal is a slowly spreading arching foliage plant that has different heights depending on species and some variegated types lady's mantle AKA Alchemilla, has different species that are different sizes, but all relatively low Cimicifuga (now changed to Actea) racemosa AKA bugbane can have maroon or red leaves and has tall wands of white or pink flowers Astilbe has ferny leaves and feathery flowers in shades or red, pink or white Coral bells (Heuchera) and foamy bells (Tiarella) and their cross Heucherella all have ornamental leaves and foamy spring flowers. Iris crestata AKA crested iris which is a short-statured spring bloomer with white or blue flowers Veronica 'Georgia Blue', a groundcover that has bright blue flowers and is an easy going plant that rambles around without overwhelming its neighbors Digitalis AKA foxglove is a self-seeding biennial or short-lived perennial with tall spires of pink or white flowers. In the sunnier spots, you might try a clematis on a trellis. Look for lists online of shade-tolerant clematis, though they will want at least 4 hours of sun. Hellebores are a very early spring bloomer. Other shrubs: Microbiota decussata AKA Siberian cypress or Russian arborvitae is about the only evergreen you can get to grow well in shade other than broad-leafed evergreens like rhododendrons and mountain laurels. It stays low and gets wide, looking a bit like a spreading juniper. How were the yews growing? If they were dense and full, you may have more light than you think. Rhododendrons are a great choice, and most of New England has perfect soil for it. See what is available at local nurseries and be sure to pay attention to size of the variety since they can get huge (20' x 15'), though many stay small. Nursery tags may give size at 5 or 10 years, so look them up in a reputable source such as a botanical garden's website or Rhododendron.org's plant database. Mountain Laurel are another great part shade evergreen with spring flowers in shades ranging from white through reddish pink. Witch hazel (Hamamelis intermedia) is a great early spring bloomer (Feb.-March) that will grow to a very large shrub if you have room. I really like the generous depth of the beds you currently have. When planting, you want to space plants so that you leave a foot or two between the plants' ultimate size and the house so you can get in for painting, cleaning windows, and other maintenance without stepping on plants or having to prune them severely. Have some plants that occur in generous swaths or that repeat several times along the length of the bed as that will make it look more pulled together. Visit lots of garden centers and resources like the Arnold Arboretum or the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Look for gardens you like that have similar shade conditions and ask the owners or take photos of plants and post on the Name that Plant forum to get them ID'ed. Here's a link to some photos I took of a MA zone 6 garden that has largely shade. The photos are all of New England gardens, but my post of Marie's garden is on July 26, most of the way down the page. If you want good nursery suggestions, ask on the New England forum.

Well we have been at war with the city to get the new volume management best practices in order (how much rain we capture on our property that needs to stay there and not run off at all). We got verbal approval last week. So I am rebidding the excavating and sewer and water with the new plans now...since it is now winter we are waiting to break ground in March. March in Chicago you get some 60 degree days here and there so that should be a good time. Here is what we have pretty much decided upon...made a few window changes too. For the siding we are going to put a layer of 1.5" rigid XPS insulation then use OSB ripped to 4" wide as a furring strip mounted by HeadLok screws. The siding will be nailed into these OSB strips providing a "rain screen" shell. The XPS will also significantly up the R-rating for the home. We won't be using an internal vapor barrier - the XPS is basically impermeable so the wall will breathe to the inside.

I am hosting a very special Thanksgiving. My parents are both ill; my Father has cancer and my Mother has Alzheimers. I have moved them in with me. This summer my Dad was hospitalized 6 times and almost died in ICU. I live in the south and they are from the north so this will be the first Thanksgiving they will have with us and their grandchildren. We have a lot to thank God for...Dad's cancer is in remission and he is doing great, Mom has begun to adjust to the change in environment and my daughter is pregnant with our first grandchild and their first great grandchild! 8). God is so good! Oh yeah, dinner will be traditional turkey and the "fixins". Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!!

I've started a dilemma for updating my house front exterior! Hope you can join me. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5741868/need-exterior-cosmetic-advice-for-brick-georgian