All year round plant for front garden pots

[GerrytheBerry]

We have just had our drive and front garden spruced up but we are left with two big (half barrell) pots with nothing interesting in them
They did have something that flowered last year but did nothing this year and as I am not greenfingered in the slightest I have no idea what to put in now?
I was thinking of something that would be nice to look at all year round perhaps a bush of some sort?
Can anyone suggest anything please?

Following!

Look for evergreens, or, even better, flowering evergreens.

Escallonia Pink Elle might be god it stays smallish, flowers in spring.

How about a nice hebe? They have pretty flowers, and are evergreen. Lots of different kinds to pick from

Is it shady or sunny?

If shady, I'd go with Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' in one and Skimmia japonica 'Nymans' in the other. Both evergreen, prefer a slightly acidic soil.
'Rubella' is male, will bud late winter and flower in spring. Lots of flowers. 'Nymans' is female, flowers in a similar pattern to the male (not so many flowers) and has bright red berries in the autumn (if there's a male nearby).

Young plants aren't likely to be massive so you could add a few bedding plants in the summer.

I always like Heuchera, have wide range of leaf colours, and usually tiny flowers on long stems:

www.heucheraholics.co.uk/

Also fuchsias have a vast range of flower colours, and are easy to propagate, but they will need looking after during the winter:

www.fuchsiaflower.co.uk/index.htm

Thank you I am heading to the garden centre this weekend with this list!