Forgot to add that I am in CT.

Thanks! That is what I had last year but it was a lot of upkeep and I was tired of it.

It needn't be a lot of upkeep with suitably chosen plants. And mowing would be easier. Especially if you dispense with the rock borders.

For starters, get rid of the single bed with the red-flowering shrub. Completely remove it - the plants, the mulch, and the loose stone border.

The pair of beds by the steps make sense together. The single bed - nope.

TY all but what would you put it there, a tree, a holly bush or hydrangeas?

White hydrangeas would be lovely. You'd need to have the two beds prepared by replacing soil, adding a lot of compost, and adding fertilizer with the right pH. The goal would be to prepare and overhaul the old worn-out soil in the planting bed well enough so that it takes minimal maintenance for maximum effect. Stick a few dozen daffodil bulbs in while you are at it.

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I wouldn't use 'a' shrub of any sort. I would use multiples if there was a long bed or a pair if you do littlebug's suggestion. And nothing as large as your suggestions. Just sticking in one hydrangea or holly would look haphazard in incoherent. As I said above, specific plant choice is the last consideration in designing a garden. It comes at the end of the process after you've worked out the positions and shapes of the main elements. From the backgrounds in the pictures there appears to be quite a bit of hardscaping and tidying to sort out before putting in new plants. Tinkering around the edges won't produce a satisfying result imo.

IMO the beds are the issue with the boulders and too small sized beds hydraneas are not any easier to care for than any other plant on each side of the steps I would remove thos rocks clean up the edge to form two identical small beds with gravel and huge pots where you can change the plantings all the time even do Christmas stuff in there .I agree you have lots of work to celan up the mess and figure out what to do next spring.

If you are wanting to keep the beds I would suggest planting trees in them. Would suggest you choose trees that don't got to a large size so that the root system won't affect the stonework.

Hydrangeas and hollies are too big for these itty bitty beds. And trees don’t belong anywhere near stacked stone because their roots will undermine the wall.

I thought you were trying to downsize/simplify?

We have a holly in the front where it faces southwest and it is gigantic. The one in the back facing north is easier to control with pruning, but I still agree with littlebug that a holly will end up being too large for your beds. My experience with hydrangeas is that they can get pretty big, too. I think people need to be able to see more of your yard to give good advice. Since the maintenance seems to be getting you down, I would consider simply eliminating these beds. You may be used to having something there, but does anything really need to be there? Or how about a low lying evergreen in the center with perennials and/or annuals around it if you keep the beds small and round?

A comment about when gardens and yards get to be too tiring: after thirty years of DIY lawn care, friends have hired weekly yard workers to do the boring and time consuming mowing and weeding, starting with an initial clean up of their suburban yard. The crew cleared out old yard furniture, decades-old firewood, and broken branch litter. They tidied up loose fence pieces. They bring in compost and apply fertilizer. Now the friends have just a couple flower beds that they love to work on themselves, after the yard crew does the heavy digging of spring preparation.

It is also okay for a flower bed to lie fallow for a year.

Here are some suggestions:

I would get rid of the third bed and the rock borders, then plant two of the small hydrangeas available now, put on a good mulch, and be done with it.

UPDATE: we decided to remove the 3rd, single bed and keep the two on either side of the steps. We also got a new patio installed with new steps. Looking for ideas for a simple design on the sides of the stairs or even just have all grass and a few pots. Also want to add a solo stove and seating. Any suggestions on the landscape and patio stuff?

That's better. Now people can see the whole saga.

Update- patio is done, hot tub is installed, we found exactly what I was looking for in terms of seating and we simplified the flower beds and grew grass. We’re in the process for getting a small fire pit and incorporating a few more planters to add color.

It looks welcoming, comfortable and stylish.

Love that patii- we have a screened in porch with a tv mounted to the wall already and we can see it from below. we chose seating that disappears into the background because we want to see the beautiful wall and our chicks and hens growing in the cracks.