First off- your home is gorgeous!! I love it. Just love it.

I think it depends on what YOU want. You have so many options. What kind of sun does this area get? You could go with a flowering bush like hydrangea, butterfly bush, etc. Or something more formal. Or just skip the bush all together and plant loads and loads of flowers there. Of course you could also put some hardscaping there like a trellis or fountain.

I would think about how you want the garden to function, what you think it's missing, then go from there.

Tracy

I like your idea of a flower bed to go into the porch bed. I bet a clematis climbing a trellis would look lovely there, too. But I think whatever you put there will look wonderful. I really like what you've done with the front yard.

Mary

Tracy and Mary thanks for the kind words :) This front area faces south so gets direct sun all day.

I have mulled over putting so many different things there. I too had thought of putting up a trellis and having SAC climb it with underplantings of mid-sized perennials. Also thought about putting a rose there. Actually that red blaze that is in my garage bed was purchased for this spot. Then I remembered that we have to paint this year. I did not want to have it trampled so stuck it in the other bed.

I also considered digging up the rose of sharon bush that is in that porch bed. I never meant to have it there I just stuck it there at the end of one season to get it into the ground. That was 5 years ago! There it sits! The only issue with it is that it is a mauvy light pink. It would so clash with the reds I am using.

The foundation plants are small and if you notice, this other area slopes down. Something the same size as the other bushes would look dwarfed in this area. If I put a bigger bush there it will look funny as the scale will be all off.

The first thing I thought of when looking at the picture was that you need a nice big rounded something there. A hydrangia (annabelle?) would look good. Then again a trellis with a clematis would be nice too! OH I know, plant the hydrangia out a bit, and put the clematis behind it. Clematis like thier feet in the shade anyway.

Jenny P

A mass planting of purple coneflower, with deep purple sedum in front. Maybe a tall grass or 3 behind. By mass planting, I mean like 15 plants or so. It would have a huge impact. Why not go for sun lovers with your lovely south facing garden bed?
Pondy

I vote for a mass of color....

Thanks for the suggestions! I like them all. I really like the idea of clematis growing up there. That area slopes so something with height and color appeals to me. I wish the house was painted so I could put one in now. Not sure what color we are painting. Depends on our energy level. The front of the house is fine, no cracks or peeling so we may just paint it yellow again for the easiest route. If not we are going to either paint it a light mossy green with pale beigy yellow trim or a gray-beige...either way the colors would look nice up against it.