Weird garden layout needs help- any suggestions?

I have a semi-triangular/hexagonal area in front of my house (two, actually- but one is a perfect triangle, and the other is like a hexagon of sorts) that I can't seem to figure out what to do with. Several previous owners tried to do things with this area that didn't really work out, and the result is a hodge-podge of plantings and a really unfortunate layer of pea gravel (about 4-6 inches deep in spots) that makes this area tricky. I would come in with a bobcat and tear it all out except that I don't have the money and I do like the dogwood tree planted in the middle and don't want to injure it. Confused

Anyway, you can see in the pics that there is just a mess of stuff planted here. The part up against the house has about a two foot overhang over it. When we moved in there were out-of-control azalias all along the edge of the house but they had grown away from the house toward the light and water and were pretty ugly and spindly, so we pulled them. It is a pretty sheltered area. I have a nice bleeding heart and an astilbe by the door that grow well. The peonies are ok but they aren't together, it's like someone just threw them in there with no regard for how tall they get or that they don't really spread much. There are shorter plants behind them and basically 3 'clumps' of them in random spots.

My problem is that I want some winter interest and color throughout the summer. This area always looks bad but especially in winter because everything but the tree dies to the ground. It is a flat, brown mess in winter. I also need it to look good from 3 sides, which is tough for me. I think the smaller area will come together ok, it is a more 'conventional' spot to plant, but the large area has been vexing me for 5 years now, and I am ready to do something about it! I can dig up the gravel one spot at a time but haven't figured a way to get it all out without hurting the tree and killing everything in there.

This part of the house faces North and East so does get some morning sun but it is filtered. By about 11 am it is pretty shaded for the rest of the day. I wouldn't call it 'heavy' shade, just really diffuse and not much direct light. Oh, and I do have an irrigation system in the larger part, if that's helpful.

Sorry for the super long post but the economy is bad and I can't afford to hire help, and I am perplexed about what to do. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

Funky garden space ( photo / image / picture from jlswilton's Garden )

Another view ( photo / image / picture from jlswilton's Garden )

Smaller triangular section ( photo / image / picture from jlswilton's Garden )

I wouldn't go ripping everything out yet. There are lots of plants that you can move to other parts of the beds. Those you don't care for or have too many of and no place else to put, pot them up and give them away.
It probably would be a good idea to dig things up, pot them temporarily and amend the soil with lots of good compost.

What plants do you have there? It looks like some of them are planted the wrong location so a little creative rearranging is in order. If you don't know what they are, please take pictures of them individually and post them in the Plant ID forum... http://www.gardenstew.com/forum-30.html
then you can find out their planting requirements, etc.

You can soften up the straight lines of the walkway by having 'draping' plants along there so they will drape over the edge and hide it.

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