I Need Help!

Left side

Right side

This is the view from my "patio" doors. I use that term loosely~the patio is about 8x10, surrounded by sad little plots of earth, a wall directly in front and fences on each side. A well-placed Maple with huge leaves and our 2 story building make for a generous lack of sunshine, only a few hours in the morning and late evening. So what do I do to spruce this place up? What plants do I plant in this one little patch of dirt? Do I go with pots?

So far I have one hosta, one bleeding heart that the squirrels attacked, one vinca in a pot, and one lavendar. I put up the old white bed frame (look familiar Rachel?) and planted sweet peas to grow up there~hope that works out~they've come up, now to keep the squirrels from eating them!

This is the only view from the downstairs, and I get a little crazy looking out there seeing sadness and desolation!

Can you tell how desperate I am by just showing you these awful pictures? HELP!