I'm looking for a few suggestions for making my yard better in my 1920s bungalow--that much should be easy since it looks not only neglected, but bad enough that a well-meaning neighbor mistakenly reported it as having been vandalized( I've been working on fixing up the inside of the house, now it's time to start on outside).

I don't know how perfectly period I want to get, since I want it to be MY garden above all, but I find history fascinating and would love to incorporate some period details at least. However, I'm really kind of a newbie at this, and hampered by allergies and asthma ( so low allergen and low maintenance--since there will be time periods when I will be bedridden and unable to work in the garden---would be a huge plus). I'm also kind of intrigued by edible and organic landscaping( esp. being allergic to some pesticides). Now, I don't expect there to be a perfect solution that incorporates all of this, but I'm just kind of throwing out information in hopes of attracting some useful ideas.

Things I'm planning/considering so far:

A clover lawn---I've read that this was done sometimes in those days. Since I hate grass and live in a semi-arid part of the country, this sounds sensible. The goth girl in me is tempted to use the Dark Dancer variety of clover, but I don't know if that would work--thoughts?

A rose hedge, to replace dying/mangled/ugly juniper-type hedge across the front (this was the main thing that was thought to look "vandalized").

Wintergreen. I have no idea if this would work in any sense, but I have two 40 foot pines to contend with on the west end of the front yard, and wintergreen at least has the reputation of co-existing with conifers, besides being usable for tea.

Peonies--I'm not sure where I'd put them since sun is limited due to the northerly facing house, but the earliest wallpaper found inside has a peony pattern and the idea just kind of calls to me.

Things I have to work around:

The pines, my extreme phobia of caterpillars and their ilk, the small size of the yard( 20X25, roughly---there is a big backyard with a private well which could be used for plants I really like, but first I want to make the front yard look nicer---I'm not totally going to cave to neighbor's prejudices, but if I'm a weirdo I want it to be in the right way)...and, biggest of all, the city ordinance which stipulates all front yards must contain 90% live ground cover of less than six inch height( thus nixing my original idea of an allergen-free, low-water-use Zen Garden with a few bonsai trees).

Anyway, if you've really read all this...thank you for taking the time to do so and let me know your thoughts.