Is this a joke? How does a pile of firewood become landscaping?

Of course, the OP means a stacked pile of wood next to the house. The pictured pile is just after delivery. Stacked wood ready for heating season is more often on a side or back area. Boxwood will do well in that shaded location. But, they don't blend with the more rustic feel.

I actually don’t think h/she meant the woodpile as a joke. But I certainly wouldn’t pile (or stack) firewood in front/on the side of this charming home!

Previously planted items in front of the house may have died because they were placed too close to the house. Plants need air circulation, at least a bit of sun, and access to rain/water. Have you tried greatly expanding that bed? You have plenty of room. A foundation planting bed works best if it’s at least 6’ deep deep, measured from the yard to the house. And don’t plant anything closer than 4’ from the house.

Your instincts are right that you need something growing in front to break up the dark structure. (Which is just beautiful!)

Planters would probably require watering even if only occasionally. Are you there often enough to do that? Are there no native shrubs suitable to that ecosystem which could be planted in the ground?

Are you in Maine? Lake Lanier? California? Plants in the ground are easier to maintain long term than planters. Woodpiles can be decorative, there is a guy in my hometown that has a sculptural stack every year that looks like it should be an art installation (until winter)

Where are you?

Which way does the house face?

The area looks quite sunny to me. The key to getting shrubs established is going to be matching them to the site conditions. It certainly isn't planters, which require maintenance like Floral said.

Ferns and Oxalis.
Make a larger planting bed and plant these in the ground.

If you like the flower boxes place them among the greenery and plant with shade loving woodland flowers.

I don't know where firewood is a design statement...I get it, woodsy...but it should be nowhere near the house. Use it up before it becomes infested.

Where are you and what are your conditions: zone, sun/shade, acidic/alkaline soil, clay/sandy, etc. What kinds of wildflowers are near you? What do your neighbors successfully grow?

Your AI image is, like most AI landscape images, completely out of scale. Either your house is slightly larger than a largish shed or those planter boxes and their plantings are far bigger than they will be in real life. Although I don't think planters are a good idea, you can start by looking up the length you want and then measuring the length of your house.

Next, most ferns like cool, moist soil. Planter boxes heat up quickly, particularly if black, and they are hard to keep watered in the summer heat. Your trees and grass look healthy, so there's no reason something you plant in the ground can't be either. If your problem is not watering, planter boxes are just going to make it worse.

I'd also think bigger than just foundation plantings. I'd put a flowering tree in your yard. Redbuds and dogwoods are understory trees that should do well in some shade.

How much sun do you get in that area? I know it may be overdone but in front of that stunning and stark black house, I think white/green hydrangeas would be so spectacular. A hedge of Annabelles if there is not so much sun or perhaps a classic limelight if there is a lot of sun? I just love the lime green with the black and these shrubs are cold hardy and low maintenance, especially once established. Just needs a prune every spring.

OP has never returned

Must be the first comment which was rude.

I was curious and checked the OP's other posts, the cabin has a beautiful interior.