Flower/shrub suggestions (photos, not dial up friendly)

[rawtoast]

Hi, I just joined here because I'm doing some yardwork for my mother and need ideas for which flowers/shrubs to use. She has two areas she wants me to plant in, these photos show them (sorry such low quality, I used a cell phone camera):

The problem with this area is there is a tree stump in the middle of the circle. There is a small hole in the middle of it where a clump weeds are growin, I don't know if I can plant anything worthwhile there.
[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/back-20060519190611.jpg/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/back-20060519190611.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/front-20060519190611.jpg/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/front-20060519190611.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/side-20060519190612.jpg/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/side-20060519190612.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/threequarter.jpg/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/threequarter.jpg[/img][/url]

This area mostly needs some sprucing up.
[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/othercircle.jpg/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/othercircle.jpg[/img][/url]

Both areas are partly shady I think, they only get a lot of sunlight in the afternoon/early evening.

For the first area, we're thinking of keeping the three long leaf clumps as they are flowers and don't look bad. Everything else is going aside from the tree stump. This is what I'd like to accomplish:

[url=https://s2.supload.com/free/Untitled-20060519192217.png/view/][img]https://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/Untitled-20060519192217.png[/img][/url]

Where 1 is the tallest and the center of attention. 2 is shorter than 1, and 3 is shorter or maybe 3 is just flowers. 3 would go where the ferns are now. 4 in the middle is a kind of groundcover? We don't have to have a 4 if it won't work, we can just throw mulch over the tree stump. The colors in my crappy illustration are just there to make the illustration look pretty

We'd like flowers/shrubs that are colorful and relatively low-maintenace if possible. We don't want something that we have to baby and prune weekly. Oh and we live in CT, I don't know what zone it is.

I hope this all makes sense to you all. If you need any other information just ask. Don't be afraid to tell me that my ideas aren't going to work either Thanks in advance!

[opabinia51]

I would dig a 1/2 foot trench around the bed and build a wall of landscaping ties around the bed. It will make it look much more clean cut.