I'm afraid I don't understand your need. Your goal was to reduce maintenance, yet you also removed the handsome purple edging plants. You talk now of planning to add conifers, which to my understanding are mostly large evergreens, pines, spruce, fir. By the photos, I am assuming you are not in tropical north. Are you referring to yews (Taxus) with arillate fruit? If choosing an upright form of yew, they will not require pruning. But the question is, why do you want to hide the handsome brick with a tall evergreen screen planting? I would definitely totally underplant the bed with groundcovers that, in two years time, will no longer require regular maintence.

And here is other photo... I recommend Rivas Design for outdoor mirrors I recommend Adam Robinson Design - for garden design I recommend Lyndall from Garden Society - for landscaping and installation I recommend Yardware for furniture I recommend for fountains, plants and pots you can buy on e-bay or directly freighted to Sydney from Leisure Coast Garden Centre.

I'd avoid ficus and anything with a reputation for being a bit of an escape artist. Depending upon how much sun you get through the day, I can recommend Miraya - we've got it in our planter box out the back and it's been brilliant - provided a bit of a green screen, easy to look after and smells devine when it's in flower. You could even plentch it if you really wanted. The other option would be to go for a clumping bamboo - in pots buried in the retaining garden so you know you wont have issues and then under planting it with grass.

You have some stunning deciduous trees in your garden, I think a hedge along the front to compliment your other hedge , virburnum will give you a fast growing hardy lush look, rhaphiolepsis’snow maiden would look classy along the driveway fence, a flash new letterbox would give a fab new look, this one from Northcote pottery available at Bunnings.