Recommended bushes, flowers?

[MAKing]

We have a waterfall area in our new house. We went in to clean it up, pull weeds and a few plants that needed removed, etc. Apparently they used vining type bushes? I don't know if that's typical. We're pulling what looks like weeds and it'll uproot out of the ground and be attached to a bush 5 feet away...

So we're just going to redo the entire landscaping. I'm looking for bushes and flowers (that don't grow more than 3 feet), and require not as much maintenance. We don't mind doing trimming and some upkeep but due to family issues, our schedule has become incredibly busy for the unforeseeable future. Any recommendations? I'm in zone 6, right on the edge of zone 7 really...

 

[Marck]

First, it would be good to identify the plants you have now to see if they are good choices or not for your waterfall area. We can help if you will send clear photos. It would also be good to see photos of the site, to give more knowledgeable recommendations for other plants, if this is needed.

Consider that if this is your first time grooming your new garden, you may be removing a whole season of growth.
If these are plants that only require grooming and cutting back once or twice a year, then they are already low maintenance plants. You might want to just cut back the plants now and see how they grow back in the spring. Spring would be the best time to locate and purchase wetland plants anyway.