Ideas on what we can add to the front garden

If you decide on using pots, as well as the Erigeron, I'd recommend Nepeta which is also reliable and long flowering and copes well in many locations. Phormiums in pots would also give you some variety and structure, plus they are evergreen.

 

I'd be looking to hang several baskets from your walls, maybe herbs and strawberries as well as the usual flowery things.

 

As inside the buxus? I'm not sure there's alot of room.

For some reason I can't reply to posts with links

 

Leicester, buxus has been fine for the past 5 years then last year I noticed them, so got some treatment stuff called TOPBUXUS XenTari which has done the trick.

I'm ready and waiting for them this year!

 

I don't see any other space you are looking to put plants in. The links I added are small shrubs but I agree it looks like you don't have a lot of space there. Up to you if you think you would like to keep that area more open but you did ask for suggestions as to what could be added to add more colour. The Mahonia linked is a smaller variety and they have nice fragrance and flower colour when other plants are not producing much and they are evergreen. The Pittosporum is a small variety that has very nice leaf colour in winter in particular and the Berberis linked is another smaller variety and the ones I have add nice bright flower colour at a variety of times through the year and are particularly good now. Also possible to trim these back if you want to keep them smaller than what they will normally grow to.
Happy gardening!

 

I don't see any other space either @Macraignil , so I'm unsure what @DaveyB is really looking for. A few groundcovering plants perhaps, but they'll need to be happy with a bit of shade.
Certainly, the suggestion by @infradig of wall baskets or similar is a good idea, but hanging baskets, or attached ones aren't low maintenance, so that has to be considered.

 

I got a few plants yesterday we pulled up the dead plants & have brought out a few big pots we had spare in the back garden.

We got a berberis starburst but couldn't find the one recommend & penstemon laura + another penstemon but I can't remember the name as I'm out atm. We also picked up a Phormium sundowner for a pot.

 

Any advice on what's going wrong with our berberis? In the pot seems to be dying but the bits overhanging seem fine?

 

Just buy colourful pots and stick in what you like. If they die try something else.

 

It won't be happy long term in that wee pot. What care as it had since you got it?
Those tall narrow pots aren't much use for shrubs, because they need the width for the root system. The soil level is very low too, which means even less volume for it. If that's a spreading type rather than a more upright variety, it's even more important it has enough space for the roots.
They don't tend to get many problems with pests and diseases, but they can get sawfly. The weaker the plant, the more likely they are to be vulnerable though. If the foliage has been stripped off rather than just dying off, that could also be a reason for the bare stems.

 

I would plant it in the ground if you have the space. You will find it will grow much better