New home landscape help!

We have been in our home for a year, our landscaping in our front yard is horrible. My wife wants to keep the design simple and low maintenance. Your front yard gets afternoon sun but shade during the morning. I am looking for any ideas. We currently have two dwarf burning bushes planted under the windows. We would like something to go along with these. Also trying to figure out what type of bedding to use? Mulch or rock. We are leaning towards rubber mulch due to an ant problem we have had. But we know we do not want lava rock due to ants. Thanks everyone.

Just to note the little flower bed around the lamp post and tree is gone, just grass now.

Keep it simple. Put header to keep the lawn separate from the planter area.
Mulch the planter areas to keep the weeds down. In areas where you might be changing the plants seasonally (annual flowers) use a fine mulch that can be mixed in with the soil. Around permanent plants you can use what ever you want. I do not know if any one is better than the others to discourage ants.

Here are a couple of ideas.

Thanks for the ideas, I went to lowes today and bought the metal type edging and bought dark brown rubber mulch nuggets. I have not bought any plants yet. What kind of plants should I get? I would like a tree in the middle of the windows, something that will stay kinda small. The rest of the plants I would like kinda small also but offer some color. Maybe some type of grass also. Can you recommend any?

Few actual 'trees' will stay small enough between those windows. Well, maybe a weeping flowering cherry or similar.

Flowering annuals that you see sold each spring in multiple small pots are something you plant once each year and then they mostly give blooms and color all summer till frost. Perennials are something you plant once, and then can ignore some years, or only do maintenance tasks some years. Some perennials tend to bloom for one portion of the year and then just have leaves. So it partly depends on how much time you want to spend in the garden, and how often, and the look you like.

Well I definitely want perennials so there is less maintenance, but might buy some annuals just for some punch of color. I just hope maybe someone on here can give me some names of shrubs, tree or perennials that would work for our application.

A mix like that is my preference, it hedges all bets.

Do NOT expect good advice from any big box type store or place that does NOT specialize in plants. Some few places like that might have good advice but most do not.

For a tree in that spot- weeping cherry, be sure to specify size and take a picture to the nursery. You may need to widen the bed at the middle for the tree.

Easy perennials- Sedum such as Autumn Joy; Daylilies rebloomers like Happy Returns; Rudbeckia. These easy perennials can be planted this year and not need anything for several years except remove dead stuff once a year.

How wide is the space between the sidewalk and the first window? An evergreen might be nice there IF it can stay (be kept) small enough. Evergreens grow forever. You want a slow grower. Maybe a boxwood, if thats good in your zone.

If you start with a couple small bushes you can still stick a few daffodils between them for several spring of flowers, When the bushes grow together, just let them go their own way.

I liked the bed around the pole and tree. But if that's grassed now, no biggie.
How close is the pole to the sidewalk? I might like to make a bed attaching the two. I like something 'grounding' things like that, not just grass. Maybe thats just me.

Ditto Sally's suggestion about a small tree- bulge that planter out in that area to have room for even the smallest tree. In addition to weeping cherry and similar trees, there are also some species of shrubs that can be trained as trees. I do not know what is OK in your zone. MAYBE:
Rhaphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty'? Best to consult a good nursery (not the big box stores).

Bulbs are a great investment for many years of color. Look for bulbs that 'Naturalize'. These do not need to be lifted and stored then replanted (a lot of work). Bulbs that naturalize in your zone will grow well in the warm season, and will be dormant in the winter. Plant them fairly densely, the patches or bands do not need to be large. Do not plant them singly- one..... one.... one.... looks bad. If I only had a dozen of the mid sized daffodils for example, I would plant them all together in an irregular circle/triangle/whatever about 1' x 2' and have a small, intense area that really pops. You might get some now, in pots, for Mother's Day, and plant them out in the garden. Otherwise, most bulbs like this are planted in the fall.
Look into: Daffodils, Crocus, Freesia, and others.
Avoid: Tulips (well, around here they need to be lifted and stored- not enough winter chill)

While I know boxwoods are widely adapted and easy to care for, I have never liked the lack of color- no flowers, no leaf change... Boring!
Other shrubs that can stay small, but have something interesting- flowers, fruit, colorful leaves can still be low maintenance. Again, go to a good nursery to see what grows in your area and fits the space.