Hydrangeas can only take full sun in cool coastal climates. There is a dwarf hydrangea called Pippa that might work with roses if the roses were shading it. I have some Spirea planted near roses. There is a reblooming Daphne(Can't remember the name). It smells wonderful and doesn't get too large. The flowers are small but the look of the foilage is attractive. Berberis could look nice with the right roses.

I was looking at Daphne 'Carol Mackie' because it says it's extremely fragrant but it also says it is a very slow grower. Then their is Daphne 'Summer Ice' which is also fragrant but doesn't say if it a slow grower or not. I know nothing about these shrubs. It says they get about 3 feet. Spirea is another i was looking at. 'Snow storm' looks nice. Anyone grow Sweet Spire 'Little Henry'? It looks interesting enough but small.

Daphne 'Carol Mackie' is a superb plant. I have one in a zone 4 garden and one in zone 6. My zone 4 plant is about 3' tall and almost 5' across after 15 years. It has been a reliable and beautiful landscape plant that loses its leaves about December and blooms in early spring. The small flowers which cover the plant fill the garden with a delicious fragrance.

My zone 6 'Carol Mackie' is a much newer plant, only about 5 years old and it is more upright and rounded; about 3Â tall and across. It still has its leaves, although they do not have the luster of the spring growth. Much of 'Carol MackieÂs' charm can be attributed to its foliage which has a very unusual variegation. The leaves are long and thin with a green edge, a white line and a green center, so each leaf has a thin white line that follows the shape of the leaf. Mine is planted near the variegated grass Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' for a really pleasing affect.

Just HOW slow does Daphne Carol Mackie grow? I think I would definetly like to make that one of the shrubs or at least one of the Daphnes. Do they grow in zone 8? I'm a little confused by the zone 4 zone 6 thing?

I think that mixed with the scent of the roses would be heavenly!

Mock Orange looks nice, also the Gold Flame Spirea (I think that's the cultivar name). You might want to try Kerria Japonica but beware it travels. How about a PG Hydrangea. They like full sun and I think Limelight is lovely. Also, the native hydrangea aboracens-Annabelle and White Dome can take a considerable amount of sun. Of course as suggested, ornamental grasses look nice. There are also some very lovely smaller crape myrtles. Then again, a few evergreens might not be a bad idea. I like the false cypress that is lime green-can't think of its name. Also, for a more formal look, you could try a globe arborvitae. Also the holly cultivar, Sky Pencil.

Do a google search for Proven Winners-these are shrubs that do well in most any situation. You might find something you like.

Happy Gardening
Barbara

Hi,
Itea 'Little Henry' does stay small. There are other cultivars that do get bigger. Iteas can handle sun just fine, but need moisture. So unless you have a spot that doesn't dry out in the summer, it will not work.
Some shrubs I have mixed in(that I can think of,lol) with my long rose border are Mock Orange, Flowering Quince, Weigela(sorry yours is not blooming well. Have you tried cutting it back right after blooming? If not, try that this year,)Deutzia, Baptisia(a perennial, but grows shrub like,) Hibiscus syriacus, Hibiscus moscheutos, Jostaberry(why not a berry plant?) Caryopteris aka Blue Mist Shrub, Abeliophyllum distichum aka white forsythia, Butterfly Bush, Leptodermis oblonga, and Potentilla. The leptodermis and potentilla are shorter probably only to 2'.
Hope that helps some,
Remy

Daphne does better with cool nights. I have lost 2 or 3 of these and I am in the upstate of SC which is not as hot as Charleston.

I grow loropetulum with my roses. The burgundy foliage is great next to the large old garden pink roses. This shrub is easily trained into a small tree or can be pruned into a modest to large shrub. In my zone, this bush never loses its leaves.
Loropetulum!

I also grow low growing junipers in front of my roses. It helps hide those skinny knees on some of my teas! It also adds a bit of 'blue' to all the garden since the foliage takes on a blue cast especially when placed near the bright green of rose leaves.

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In the picture above I have a Variegated Weigela in the top left along with 2 of the junipers (one on right and on left). The junipers are easily kept in shape by lopping off any branches that you don't want.

Hope that helps!

I have very limited space, so everything get mixed.

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Olga

My daphne 'Summer Ice' did great for three years - bloomed for months - then just up and died. They like perfect drainage, I've heard - and that's something my yard does not have.

I really like Spirea Dakota Goldcharm, with lime-green foliage, months of bloom and a terrific dwarf habit. It has great autumn color, too.

I also like the dwarf variegated myrtle.

Teucrium is nice - there are some cultivars of Teucrium fruticans that stay at about five feet. The silvery foliage and azure flowers are a great combo, and I love that it starts blooming in January.

When I grew mostly modern roses, I needed shrubs to give some winter fullness and hide the bare canes at all times of the year. Now that my garden is mostly teas, chinas and polys, they are essentially evergreen plants, clothed with foliage all over, and I find the shrubs a bit extraneous.
Anita

Olga...I am not convinced...show me more. ;o)

Anything to see more pics of Olgas roses!!

Olga, you never told me you lived in the Garden of Eden.

Melissa

Wow, great pictures! Thanks for all the suggestions. So many that I'm not awear of that I have to look up.

There are some shrubs that were suggested that I have considered but grow bigger than what I want. However, are the easy enough to prune to keep them no more than 5 feet as I really want them 3-4'. I have been looking at the hydrangeas as I just love those mixed with roses. Will the heavy pruning to keep it within those heights badly effect them?

I think Spirea will be one.

I went to HD yesterday and they had Loropetulum, it does look nice so maybe that can be one of them.
As much as I love Daphne maybe I better not.
I was also thinking of blue plumbago. Had one and it bloomed it's head off. Lost it to an unusually mild winter with several hard freezes last spring. The blue is amazing though!

Barbara- Thanks for the tip on the PW's. I was checking out Bluestone's selection and they have several really nice shrubs with the PW.

Remy- I'm afraid to prune my weigela because it has a beautiful arching growth. It is about 4' high. I just moved it as it was in the way of the new fence we put up so now I have no idea what it will do. Do you need to give it any special treatment? I have another (same kind bought at the same time) and I give it lots of organic material spring and fall, it's in full sun and yet that one bearly even grows as it is no more than 2'. It never flowers. I wish I had all the flowers I keep reading about but it just never happens.
Meghan

Mom of Two,

Regarding Bluestone, I love their perennials but they establish quickly. I would not purchase their shrubs as they are very small, unless you have a bed where these can get established for about 1 year. Just my opinion, but I live in a colder zone than you.

I would not severly prune Hydrangea. Otherwise you might end up with no blooms, depending on when you prune and how much you take off. However, there is a dwarf PG Hydrangea. Don't know how dwarf, but check it out. I think it's called Pee Wee.

In the south, I would grow crepe myrtle (a number of dwarf varieties) and camellias. Don't know if camellias are compatable soil wise with roses.

There are also a number of dwarf conifers and offer various blue and light green shades.

I love Olga's photos too. She truly is in the Garden of Eden.

Meghan, there is a newer Hydrangea Paniculata called "Pinky Winky" that I think is gorgeous plus it takes full sun. I ordered mine a couple of months ago from a nursery in Illinois.

And Lorepetulum is a good idea. Ours have tiny pink flowers in the spring & early summer. I thought I needed to move mine to make room for roses, but now I think not. I'll just inter-plant.

Olga, what is the plant with the white flowers with the cerise rose? You have a VERY beautiful yard!

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Pinky Winky

Thank you.
Sherry, the white flower plant is Mock Orange. Fragrance is to die for.
Olga

Mom...,
Prune right after it blooms in late spring, or at least when it should of bloomed, lol! Maybe it will surprise you and bloom a lot this year. Anyway, prune right after bloom. Don't put it off until later. You need the rest of the year for the plant to grow new branches that will bloom next year. Don't worry about cutting back a lot. It will be fine. You can cut the oldest canes really far back and leave some of newer ones fairly intact if you are worried about leaving an empty space in your garden.
I'm not sure why the other one hasn't grown much. Does it look otherwise healthy? From what you say it does. Try pruning back a few canes on it also when you do the other one. Sometimes pruning will induce some growth.
I don't do anything to mine besides pruning. It was of the first shrubs I bought to plant in my long border. The soil isn't even that good. I wonder if you are treating them too good. Maybe they like abuse? lol.
Remy

Olga, another gorgeous plant I can't grow in Z9!
Sherry

Olga, How pretty!!

Remy- Thanks for the advice and as much as I hate to do it I will give it a shot. I'm crossing my fingers in hope the darn thing blooms this year!

There are so many shrubs and I like many of your suggestions. IF garden catalogs come too small then I wonder what my chances are of finding many of the ones mentioned locally? I guess I will have to write them down and go nursery to nursery looking. I have an idea and now I have something to go on. Thanks

Meghan