Planning a Garden Part Two

I took advantage of the amazing weather this weekend and spent some time working on the flowerbeds in the front of house. I started cleaning up the beds by raking, turning over the soil and getting rid of the fall leaves. I soon discovered that the bushes in the front have thorns and cut up my arms a bit. I am sure they will look nice when they flower but they still look pretty bare and gaunt. I really want to cover up the cement foundation that you can see in the front of the house so I really want to plant some bushes and shrubs that have more greenery and don't lose their leaves throughout the seasons.
When researching what types of shrubs and flowers to plant, I used the bookmarking site www.delicious.com to save all the different types of plants I am interested in. You can search and find my lists under holls421. I did a lot of research on the Better Homes and Gardens website given that they are the experts in the gardening area. I found their website easy to follow and to be very informative. Not only did they cover a wide range of plants and flowers but they also had useful tips and advice such as the growing conditions and size of the plants to help guide me as I start out on my new garden. BHG.com also has a review feature so I can see what other gardeners are saying regarding BHG gardening advice and suggestions. To start out, I bookmarked a general gardening care article (http://www.bhg.com/gardening).
Here is a list of the plants and shrubs that I am interested in: For the front flowerbeds, I really like this Wine & Roses Weigela. (http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/colorful-shrubs-for-your-garden/?page=4). I definitely want to go with a flowering shrub and I really like the look of this shrub. My other option is a hydrangea (http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/hydrangea-guide). I have always LOVED hydrangeas, they remind me of cape cod and the beach.
For the back yard along the fence I have a few options, the first being the Cyprus Vine (http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/annuals/annual-vines-for-your-garden/?page=3). It has foliage and can grow up to 15 feet so it could grow nicely along the fence and provide some privacy from the neighbors. In addition, it says its easy to seed e.g is not difficult to grow and given that I am a novice, I am looking to start with the plants that fall into the easy range of the difficulty scale. I also like the Weigela (http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/best-flowering-shrubs-for-hedges/?page=3)however this shrub appears to be quite wide so I am not sure if the best place for it would be along the fence or somewhere else in the yard. To check out any of my other options check out my delicious bookmarks! I also would love to hear any gardening tips or advice you have! Please comment on which flowers you like from the pictures I posted. The first is the Cyprus Vine, the second is the Wine & Roses Weigela and the last is the hydrangea.