How does your garden grow?

My garden beds have become a mess over the last year or so, and I really want to get them somewhat into shape again. I also want to return to enjoying herb plants, and try to grow some tomatoes, bell peppers, and green beans. This year they'll ahve to be in containers because the intended veggie space is a real mess. Gotta start somewhere, though!

On Friday morning, just before the rains, I met two friends at a well-known nursery in a nearby town and had fun shopping for green, growing things. This time I had a bit of money to spend -- my favorite Mothers Day gift, of Mom-go-buy-plants money :)

I need some more color in my front garden bed, and I want to plant some containers with tomatoes, bell peppers, and herbs (I'll prepare a bit of ground for green beans from seed ASAP). Here's my memory of what I ended up bringing home -- everything is outside in the dark, ready to plant, well watered from the rains!

To add deep reds and oranges to my mostly yellow-flowering front garden bed, I'm getting some easy color for now while I figure out what perennials I need in the fall:

3 red-orange-yellow blooming verbena (or lantana -- the low, spreading one)
2 deep orange marigolds
1 or 2 "clown" deep orange and yellow marigolds
1 bronze-red strawflower that I went back for at the end
...all of the above have nice dark green leaves. Now we add:
2 very dark red coleus foliage plants
2 variegated (dark reds) Joseph's coat foliage plants

For a big pot up close to my front entrance:

1 red and 1 pink begonia, chosen by my 6-year-old son
1 red standard geranium, an old favorite "makes me happy"
1 red-with-green and 1 white-with-green ... foliage plant, the name is entirely escaping me!
...I'll plant these around a surviving huge poinsettia from Christmas.

For veggie containers on the backyard patio, and maybe one in front:

2 Arkansas Traveler tomatoes, 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 other cherry tomatoes (all tags are with plants, outside, in the dark)
2 bell peppers
1 basil, 1 green globe basil, 1 holy basil
1 chives
1 Italian flat-leaved parsley
1 purple sage, 1 tricolor sage (my favorites to look at)
1 fennel ('cause I love to smell the leaves)
1 chocolate mint ('cause 6-year-old son couldn't stop smelling the leaves)
...A friend has given me two big chunks of garlic chives, as well.

I really prefer to buy my ornamental plants in 3s, but I decided I wanted to try a bigger variety of things, so that front garden bed will be a mishmash!! As soon as the ground is not completely sodden I'll be on my knees PLANTING, yay! Do you have garden plans, big or tiny, this year?