In my zone, barberry and butterfly bush are both considered invasive. We are also new home owners and I concentrated on shrubs last season. I dug up and transplanted several boxwood by hand; they have a shallow root system. Not sure about the others you have there.

Pick and shovel. There are some new butterfly bush cultivars that are sterile, so they won't be invasive.

Whatever and where ever you plant, it's a good idea to match the sun requirements of your plants to the location. The south-facing side of a house is the sunniest. The north side is the shadiest. The east side is the most gentle (morning sun is the best) and the west side is the most harsh. Knowing that basic stuff can save you work and money.

Why would all these plants be dead? Is there an overhang that prevents their getting watered?

Because it will get messy, I would not dig them out, but move the stone mulch back a little and then cut them off at the neck ... at ground level. I would only dig out roots that are in the way of the new plants. The exception would be if you're going to re-do all the soil anyway.

Hi, they aren't all dead, just the juniper type bush in the front. I want to replace them all to make a new garden, so don't want to keep any of them.

If those are euonymus to the far left and far right, they are more dead than alive :-) And I too would want to know why....I'd suppose some lack of water as the porch area seems to have a bit of an overhang. Not sure the rock mulch is helping much, either.

It would be helpful to know exactly where you are located and how this bed is oriented. Plants usually included in a butterfly garden prefer full sun - it is unusual for a planting bed nestled into alcove of the house to accommodate this requirement.

There is also an unwritten landscaping rule of thumb that dictates that a front or entry planting area - the beds closest to or adjacent your primary entry - look as uniform and as welcoming as possible throughout the year. That typically means focusing on evergreen plant material.......like what you are proposing to rip out. Even if the area is conducive to growing butterfly attracting plants, few if any of them are evergreen. Without an evergreen presence, the area is not going to look like much - or even alive - for a significant portion of the year.

I might want to rethink the butterfly garden to a more open, exposed and less focal area and consider replanting with something more year round in this location. And without the rocks :-)

Hmmm.... if it helps, it is still winter out... I just took this photo today & most of the snow has melted, but there is still some.

Here is a pic of them this late summer before I trimmed them back.