Gardening for the late bloomer

I have a friend in England who has the most beautiful garden. It has several herbaceous borders, an orchard, vegetable plots, a lawn suitable for croquet and even a meadow. She is a cell biologist by profession so naturally she knows what she is doing, but her garden is a true labour of love. Whenever I visit, it is such a treat to wander around it, looking at the changes she has made, the imaginative layouts and the gorgeous displays. No matter what time of year, there is always something to see and do. When I lived in Norfolk, near my friend, she tried many times to impart her considerable green wisdom but I never got the hang of it. Even the most hardy of plants withered under my inexpert care.
We now have a bungalow with a reasonable sized plot of land in Oakville, Canada. The climate here is for Zone 5 so we can have quite a good range of plants, at least the books say we can. Although, the last winter made us wonder if anything survived. There are several mature maple trees in front and back and the previous owner left a good selection of perennials, albeit rather haphazardly planted. The first year we just watched to see what grew. Quite a lot, it turned out, including hyacinth in the middle of the lawn and several circular flower beds with regimental arrangements of tulips, day lilies and some plants we have still yet to identify. Now going on our third summer, we have bravely rearranged a few beds, removed a few and put in a retaining wall in the back. While nowhere near as ambitious as my friend's garden in England, it is certainly starting to take shape. Admittedly my dear husband does the majority of the labour, mowing and landscaping. I am still rather timid with the plants I choose, preferring the more reliable well known varieties. We have several types of peonies which are the divas of the garden, they are very blousey and don't last long but give a wonderful splash of colour. We are in the process of putting in a deck. So far we have the section from the back door to the end of the house completed and steps down to the back. The lower deck will be completed soon, which will give a good excuse for a party. We have high hedges in the back and are surrounded by mature trees so it is very relaxing to sit in the morning with a coffee, listening to the birds. It has taken me awhile but I am finally getting the hang of growing things. The trick for me is to get something I like and see how it manages. Sometimes it may require moving things around but, so far, there have been only a few fatalities.