There must be nurseries near you. Go to one with pictures of your house and information on which direction it faces and they should be able to make lots of good suggestions and install the plants for you if you want.

If you want minimal maintenance, you would be better off thinking in terms of flowering shrubs than perennials.

The hierarchy of plant maintenance - from least to most - is as follows:

• Evergreen trees
• Deciduous trees
• Evergreen shrubs
• Deciduous shrubs
• Ornamental grasses
• Perennials
• Annuals
• Vegetables and fruits

I have to agree with gardengal and Nancy. For minimal maintenance and a continuous flow figure out which outstanding performers work best in your area- check out a nearby nursery and work with them to find your core structure of evergreens whether they are a mix of shrubs and trees, a few deciduous flowering shrubs, and then some ornamental grasses/perennials for texture and balance. I’d strongly advise on having sun/soil and directions of the layout when choosing your plants. ☺️

Landscaping against that stunning dark backdrop is going to upgrade your curb appeal tenfold!

Beautiful home! Is that gravel? Gardengal knows her stuff so work with the hierarchy she’s given you. Depending on your light/ shade conditions, you have a lot to consider. A couple of ornamental trees would be nice, not close to the house but further out in the yard. You need foundation planting first though. This could be shrubs and some nice perennial grasses. As others have said, work with local nursery/garden centers for ideas for your area.

debra

Do you have a university with a horticultural department that could help you? Some of them in the US have newlestters or web pages that help people select plants. So far north you will be severely limited in plants other than those native to your area.

"So far north you will be severely limited in plants other than those native to your area."

Actually not. Coastal BC up into southern Alaska has a very mild maritime climate - USDA zones 7 and 8 - and a very wide range of plants can be grown there. It is just a shorter growing season.

BC has some wierd planting zones I live in Creston and ours ir 5 to be safe . I think the style of the home needs to have ver structural plantings and I would do some huge corten steel planters too This is what I was thinking

I'd start by getting books on garden design. There will probably be some from the library. Your gravel lends itself to the French style. But it might not be your style. So, start with a general style. Next, do structure. Obviously, you' need some paths. Then identify beds. There are a lot of gardens photos and articles on Houzz, so you might find something that works for you.

Lay of the Landscape: French Garden Style (houzz.com)

Get the Look: Untamed, Naturalistic Garden Style (houzz.com)