Tardis's Front yard garden

I expanded the perennial bed on the south side of the front yard last year. Now I’m waiting to see if the perennials I planted come back and where I need to fill in. I know I want creeping thyme to go between and around the stepping stones.

This year I’m doing the north side of the front yard, around the spruce tree. The tree is no beauty but I hate the idea of taking it out as it provides privacy and wildlife habitat. I’m going to take out the patchy grass under it and replace it with a combination of large rocks, bark mulch and various groundcovers (mostly bearberry).