Ignore my potted baptisia...
The amsonia will also, likely, get moved

I'd keep it to a low groundcover--Geranium 'Biokovo' or G. 'Karmina' will be no care, semi evergreen, deer resistant. And just to say, Amsonia often look best in a group of 3-5.

Also, if deer are a problem, don't bother with hostas.

do i remember this house.. perhaps before it was painted ...

would you consider moving the box.. centering it ... and then just planting perennials around it ... [or just get rid of it.. with all the issues box usually ends up with ???]

and i might extend the bed into a more gradual swoop ... so it doesnt come in so starkly to the porch column ...

and then i would go 3D and get some nice trees going out in the lawn ... though i cant see a lot of it ...

you have a tall house.. but you beds are so thin depth wise ... you arent going to be able to get the height you need.. to anchor the house to the lawn and garden ... so go out 10... 20.... 30 feet ... and plant some trees out there .. redbud... and or a crab ... something with a flower to pop in spring ... magnolia if you can get away with it in your zone 5 ...

really.. do you really need all that grass.. maybe bocci tournaments or something...

could you go out to the curb ... and snap a pic of the whole front yard.. it might inspire us... for more ideas ...

and i would go with a natural mulch.. that will age to natural grey ... and blend with your house... not fight it.. black would be to much in your face.. and god help us.. you dont want red mulch ... do you????

you might also shave some of the soil off the box bed.. so when you mulch ... the mulch is self contained in the bed.. and not above such.. and then easily knocked into the walkway or driveway ..

btw... is snow removal a thing in your z5 ny??? .. if so.. that is a variable with the plants you choose ... if snow is piled there.. you need die to the ground plants ...

ken

For the area near the garage,I'd put in the Baptisia, add some pink echinacea and put the gerariums in front. I also like dicentra eximia, long laasting, pretty, native. Add some garden phlox if you want another plant. I'd add phlox subulata by the hostas. You want something low.

Ps, your house is a nice, classic style, but the shutters on the bay window look odd.

ha.. i like the integrated shutter and paint color ... very subtle .. go figure ... and omg.. thank the stars you didnt go with some weirdly off color front door.. i never understood that craze ...

but.. i am a blue freak.. so its ll right in my wheelhouse...

my point with the box... wasnt that anything need be done immediately.. just put it in your 5 year plan.. to do something about it ... whatever you do now... keep this in mind ...

ken

To answer your questions:
I didn't do anything to the exterior of the house - colors, shutters, it all came this way. I do plan to change some things eventually.
I do like the coneflower suggestion, I think that along with some low catmint might do the trick near the boxwood.
The reason I have so much front lawn is because of the septic, I don't want anything to interfere with that but I do plan to expand the bed even more, eventually, with perennials.
Attached are some changes I made, including widening the bed, edging, and mulching. I want to fill in this area with shrubs to start, or maybe some larger perennials? I was thinking a large weigela on the end/right hand side of the picture window. Maybe taller perennials in between the spirea and near the column (part sun)? And along the front is full sun, maybe smaller weigela? I need deer resistant options. I do have plans to put window boxes in, do whatever is planted in the front will need to be below 4 ft.