thanks. that's most likely what it is, seems to match the description very well. Interesting, almost all the pics didn;t have upward curving petals like mine does.

Probably Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'

That is a lovely little thing! It appears to be a double cowslip (Primula veris as Carol says). A British native in its single form. I've never seen a double. Cherish it. By that I don't mean mollycoddle it - it is a native of hay meadows and open downland and is not used to rich living. Don't be tempted to feed it or fiddle with it. It looks happy just where it is.

The first thing that pops to mind is a vine I'd love to be able to grow, Gelsemium sempervirens 'Margarita' / Carolina Jessamine. It would need a trellis or a shrub to climb, I think, but is native, yellow flowered and semievergreen. It blooms early. It is much taller than 3-4', but often vines can be used in ways that a perennial can't, so I figured I'd mention it for you to check out. Jasminum nudiflorum / Winter Jasmine is a shrub with arching branches and yellow flowers in winter (January-March). Though it is deciduous and drops its leaves in the fall, the stems are green, so it has an evergreen appearance. It isn't native and it is much bigger than you want, but I've read it can be trained to grow against a wall or I suppose you could prune it(?) Would she consider a yellow variegated Chamaecyparis / false cypress, an evergreen shrub that would provide yellow, just not yellow flowers? Many of them stay small. I also considered suggesting a gold-foliaged heather until I saw your pH. They need an acid, organic soil, so wouldn't work for you. (For that matter, your azaleas may well not prosper since they also like acid soil.)