| Kathy, it sounds like you have a big project ahead of you. I'm not sure pictures of my garden would help you since each site has it's own 'look' - sun/shade locations, slope, things you might want to screen out, etc.
Here's how I decide what to put where. First, I stand across the street, or as far away as possible from the site I'm thinking about. That helps me see how the larger elements, like the neighbor's garage, fit in. It's also how I decide where to put tall plants.
Someone might think I'm nuts, but I stand on the sidewalk across the street and draw in the air with my finger across the tops of things. Then I focus on the spot I've picked for a plant, go into the garden and put a down a brick for a marker. (Bricks & stones because I'm probably going to move them several times.) Next I take a look from another direction, and probably move the marker. This can, and does! happen several times. I determine edges & curves the same way. When the weather is warm, we use one of these methods to choose the shape of a garden -- when the grass is tall, we mow along the proposed edge; or lay a garden hose where we think we want to dig. The advantage of using the mower is that it eliminates curves that are too tight to mow easily. I always walk the area for a couple of days and imagine it from lots of angles, moving the markers because the view can be great from one side and flat from another. Finally, I draw a plan and replace the bricks with labled sticks. Then we go to the nursery and buy too much! | 
