Since you already bought plants and are now faced with designing them in; I reiterate the idea above to move them around in their pots until you come up with an arrangement that suits the look you're trying to achieve. How deep is the bed and will it be widened? What is the sun exposure? Looks as if you have both sun and shade plants doing nicely together. With what you've purchased and if it is all to go in the existing space, a line up that appeals to your eye as to height, color, and texture might be the only possibility along with a front of the border fill-in with spashes of color like your begonias. The Blue Star Juniper should have an open, sunny location. It does not respond well to the encroaching floppy foliage of nearby herbaceous perennials and other shrubs. Slow grower, 3x3' in ten years or so if any of the guideline literature is reasonably accurate. The barberry, euonymus, and hydrangeas should have at least 3' of space - I only have the barberry which is easily controlled by pruning and I imagine the others are as well, at least for the short haul. Smoke Bush, being hardy in your zone, has the potential for some real size.

I see you're new here, welcome. Pls. do some reading around here on mixes. While it's good that you're already using Cactus & Succulent mix (C&S for short), you will quickly see that many if not most of us here have learned to amend our C&S mixes (w/perlite or pumice, at least 30% or 50% to be safest), 'cause these days, commercial mixes have too much peat in them (kills out plants) &/or include wetting agents to retain water (also kills our plants). Others of us on here use mixes you'll see mentioned as Gritty Mix or variations of 5:1:1, things like that, which over time folks have learned worked well for them. Also some of these pre-made mixes contain fertilizer as well, which many of us wish to control ourselves rather than someone unfamiliar w/ our growing conditions. There are lots of opinions on mixes, but key & accepted by all of us is that to grow C&S, we need fast draining mix & what you've pictured above doesn't look like that. So that's an improvement that could be made easily & help the plants more that almost anything else one could try.

I love all the suggestions. I would like to also suggest a birdbath in the center. It would give the little bed a focal point, and when you have to take all the plants out, you can use the birdbath in another section of your yard. If I were keeping the bed... I'd put in an angel trumpet in the back near the fence, and let it grow into a small tree. Then I'd underplant it with pentas or a tough rose like a Knockout. I'd edge with yellow lantana, and I'd find a way to mix in some deep purple salvias. Oh, who am I kidding... I'd rip out all that grass and go absolutely berzerk! But for quick fixes, you've gotten some great suggestions. :-)

I remember how difficult it is to get started when you have a bare, flat yard. I kept staring out the windows, trying to imagine what I could plant where. It helps if you have someone stand outside while you look out the windows. Have your helper walk around from place to place, waving his/her arms, and maybe even holding a broom up overhead. Try to imagine your helper is a bush or a tree. When your helper gets to a spot that looks good from the inside, make a note of the position, or have your helper plant a garden stake (much easier to move than a tree!) Then go stand outside, or across the street, and see if that really is a good place for a tree. Use pots of annuals which you can move around until you find a space placement that suits you. THEN dig a bed. You can always set out empty boxes, or laundry baskets or even chairs to find spots for a shrub. Anything of a similar size that's easily movable will do. Here are some general principals I've found helpful. If the front is your main entrance, plant things that you will be happy to see when you come home. Start planting close to the walk and steps. This will encourage you to expand. Take it slow. I read once that you should live in a house though one set of seasons before you do any major changes. I translated that into planting annuals at first...which will have to be redone anyway. Fall is really the best time to plant trees and shrubs, as then they will get lots of rain. And, they will be cheaper at the 'year end' sales. Plant evergreens and long season perennials in the front as you and the neighbors will be looking at this area every day. Don't be afraid to take out something you don't like. Try to transplant it, or give it away. If it lives, fine, but you don't have to put up with something you don't like. Bare ground will make you feel better than a plant that irriates you. Don't plant acid loving plants close to the foundation of the house or near the cement path or sidewalk. They won't thrive. I figured this out after losing a row of azaleas, one by one. You can buy spray paint that is specially made to be sprayed holding the can upside down, so you can mark the edges of the beds. Just make sure that it isn't 'clear' paint. (Yes, it does come that way - a friend did this!) Or take a container of flour out and use that to mark plant placement or bed edges if you want a very temporary marking. The front yard is your house's public face and a place to show off your gardening skills. Rather than screening off the street, plant so that people driving or walking by will have something pleasant to look at and your visitors will find inviting. And for safety reasons, you don't want to 'hide' your house. Burglars go for entrances that are screened off from the view of the neighbors. Re paths: Make sure you leave good access to the utility boxes. Make sure you can get a lawnmower and wheelbarrow everywhere they'll need to go. You won't want low branching trees too near paths, either. If you don't have a pleasant view out the windows, one small patch of bright color will draw your eye away from the eyesore. Try a few pots of color, just set out on the ground, and see how they draw your attention. You do want to 'hide' the foundation of the house with taller, more solid shrubs. This will help transition the house into the lot, and help it look 'planted' rather than just 'plopped' onto the lot. Place lower plants further away from the house, along the path and sidewalk. You don't have to have ANY lawn in the front, but you don't have to take it all out at once, either. Have fun! Daphne in Tacoma