I don't think you need black trim.

Window boxes can be notoriously difficult to maintain but yours are at least low enough that they should be easier to keep attractive.

You don't mention if you ENJOY gardening or if you are looking for a very low-maintenance plan. Your report of the plants "drying out" leads me to believe you are not a gardener? Or are you an aspiring one?

If you would like plant suggestions, folks will need to know the sun exposure of the area in question.

You may also have luck at a local family-owned garden center (not a big box store) where they can put together a plan for you that you can implement over the years as time and funds allow.

Thank you Anna - all good points!

I've used the window boxes three summers and really love them. They were definitely easier to maintain last summer with the shrubs gone.

I can keep up with watering and occasional pruning of plants but don't have the time or knowledge for daily or extensive gardening/maintenance.

Regarding sun exposure, the front of the house is sunny almost all day as it faces south.

The local garden center idea is a great suggestion!

Thank you again for the input :)

Window boxes are a higher maintenance feature than shrubs in the ground so you are not making the garden less attention dependent by pulling out shrubs, continuing with window boxes. Also since you do happen to have a visible foundation yours is one of those situations where foundation planting is called for.

Otherwise a single distance shot of your house is not enough for somebody on social media to design a set of plantings for you. Ones that can be depended upon to work out. With what you are asking about being a big enough space (as opposed to an individual small bed or corner area) that it would be best to get somebody there in your geographic area to come out and view your site in person, provide input. Somebody using handles like garden coach, garden consultant or garden designer.

It was a great idea to pull out the boring foundation shrubs -- the house looks better already.

I'm not sure which way it's facing, but I like the idea of hydrangeas and/or roses for your style of the house. Bright pinks and purples would look great.

Don't get talked into installing the usual, boring evergreen foundation shrubs. Hydrangeas will also give you beautiful fall colors and the dry flower heads are decorative as well with some frost or snow. Look for newer varieties that are more upright, compact and won't flop.

Why are you keeping the big bush by the garage?

No need to paint anything unless you just want a change of pace. It's perfect as is.

If you want ideas about where-ish to mass plants, people here will probably provide you with suggestions but as noted above, they will need more images. A sketch of the yard with measurements would help here too or even if you want freebie advice from a garden center or if you want to do it yourself. A pro of course will come out and measure but even a pro will benefit from you having thought through what you do and don't want.

And please, no black mulch. No red mulch (next time). Get bark colored mulch. The brown stuff. :)

How happy are you with the way the house looks right now? If you go the perennial/deciduous shrub route, this is how it is going to look for at least 6 months of the year. Evergreens are 'unfashionable' right now, but the houses around me who tried to go without them seem to have them sneaking back in over time. It isn't a matter of one being right or wrong, so much as choices have consequences.

There are so many interesting plants that can be grown...unless you know what you want, you will likely be steered in the direction of inkberries, cherry laurels, spireas, etc., which is enough for some folk.

I think you need to find someone who understands your goals and can help you reach them. For example, are you looking for a mostly native "plantscape"? Or do you want traditional English cottage garden? Do you want neat mounds or is a more natural look satisfactory?

Are you interested in having plants that look interesting in the winter because of their peeling bark, their seedheads or dried flowers? Because to enjoy those aspects of a plant will necessitate eschewing the standard "fall clean up" (aka, cut everything to the ground). If you DON'T cut everything to the ground, will your neighbors make comments? Will this make your home stand out in a way that would make you uncomfortable?

These questions are not posed to pick on you but rather, to show how involved it can be to make the "right" plant recommendation. Everyone has a certain garden and gardening tolerance. Helping you figure out what you want from the experience will only result in a better one.

This perspective was brought home to me today when a friend, who has just moved into a new home, told me about these "things" that were popping up all over the garden beds. She said "they're definitely plants" (Goodness, I HOPE so!) but she doesn't know what they are or what to do. She sounds excited and completely overwhelmed.

Personally, I love gardening and am out there pretty much every day after work. When I'm home, I'm in the garden, always tinkering, always planning, a gardener is never done.

Good luck!

is the blue on the house.. siding or paint ... if siding ... why would you paint anything ... paint once.. paint for life.. not me ...

build a bed outside the walkway .. that is where you might put shrubs or conifers ... use the small bed inside the walkway for small flowers ..

crikey .. you have enough lawn there for a few sports .. why jam all the plants in beds too small and out of proportion to the lot ...

never forget... foundation plantings are planted to hide the foundation... NOT ON THE FOUNDATION.. that is why all the old stuff looked so horrible.. out of proportion to the house.. and sheared within an inch of its life once or twice per year ...

IMO .. NEVER US COLORED mulch .... GET PLAIN WOOD.. PREFERABLY CEDAR .. AND.... crikey .. and let it age to the natural gray color.. which would blend perfectly with your blue ... the only thing worse than house painting.. is painting your mulch every year.. for some not tuned to nature color .....

and plan on getting rid of that big ugly orb of a shrub next to the garage ... sooner or later.. to your timing preference.. but if you take any of my suggestions.. and make your beds more 3D ... you will come to appreciate that shrub doesnt fit there.. in shape.. form ... nor size... and i suspect its an invasive burning bush .. which is reason enough for it to go ... besides the red not fitting in with your blue house ...even for a few weeks in fall ...

just curious.. detroit z6.. or grand rapids z6?? .. size of the lot makes me think more west coast MI???

think outside the box you are already sitting in ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=burning+bush+invasive+MI+msu&t=ffnt&ia=web