I can't help with your azaleas, as I have failed with them on our place. I'm east of Monroe in flat country with heavy soil and poor drainage.
You don't mention how much acreage you're considering but if you have room you might want to consider something with red berries during the winter such as possom-haw. If you're not familiar with it just keep an eye on the fence-rows along the roads locally. It doesn't get too large and seems to be relatively slow growing but doesn't require a lot of maintenance. We've also interspersed a few hollies and crepe myrtles around the place.
Lorapedalum is another that has proved trouble free for us and provides nice color.
We also have a few plantings of Texas Star and Turk's Cap that come back every year, but they require a little mulching and weeding to keep the grass and weeds back.