No success with plants for front garden flower beds

[AlenaMacc]

Hi there,

We redid our garden last summer and I spent a lot of time reading about gardening, plants etc as we were complete newbies. I then decided on a colour scheme (purples, whites and greens), I measured the flower beds, chose plants according to the garden shade in each area and we planted those. Fast forward to now, 3 of my 6 flower beds are doing great, and the others - not at all. My main issue is the area which you see first when getting into the garden.

I believe I wrongly thought that this is a full sun area when in fact it doesn't get much sun at all. I have tried planting lavenders, hydrangeas, jasmines, russian sage and they have all died (except for the jasmines, but compared to the ones located in the sunny part of the garden, these ones are definitely not doing great...)

This is how the area looks now. I am looking for something low maintenance (we have a small child so time for gardening is very limited), that fits my colour scheme of purples and whites, and that will create impact as this area is the most prominent one when entertaining in the garden. Ideally I would like it to cover as much ground as possible... Thank you in advance!

Thank you so much for all the help and information! I have already implemented it and have planted a few Vinca Minors to see how they go for a starter. I have purchased a soil testing kit and will try to see how the condition of the soil is.

We were unlucky with the timing given the weather, yes - had to water the plants so much during the past summer. We watered them extensively every evening during the hottest spells and most of them have actually survived (in the other flower beds). I will wait a bit more to see what will pop out come springtime and decide what to plant next from your recommendations afterwards.

Ferns and periwinkle are your friends here.