I have acid moist well-drained sandy loam soil and am on the edge between zones 4 & 5. Here are some plants to look at that work well for me. If there are smaller forms of Viburnum plicatum, that might work as they grow and bloom well with dappled or part shade IME. They have late spring white flowers, tidy summer foliage and red toned autumn color. Sorry about the lopsided shape of mine - a tree dropped on it. From 2013 Some of the smaller forms of reddish-foliaged ninebark might work there - I am not sure how large the smaller forms get. See fall photo with Hydrangea. There are other forms of Hydrangea paniculata than Pee Gee that have been selected for plant and blossom size, bloom color such as more lime in Limelight or early blushing in Quick Fire, or earlier or later bloom time, and you might want to check out some of these. I leave the dry blossoms on my H. paniculata for winter interest and prune them off about now. I also grow clematis (small flowered, hard prune type 3) into my H. paniculata to increase the bloom time, and since I can prune in late fall to 2 or 3 bud pairs per stem, it doesn't look messy in the winter. Here is Quick Fire with Clematis 'Little Bas' in midsummer. From clematis on hydrangea July 9, 2013 and the same plant in late September with a large ninebark, Coppertina, to the left. From 2013 Fothergilla is a shrub with white bottlebrush-shaped spring flowers, neat summer foliage (some forms bluish), and stunning red/orange/gold fall foliage. From 2013 Sorry theses Fothergilla flowers were wet, but it give an idea of their spring look. They have a lovely light honey scent.

hi the bed you have there now.. is not even big enough to put a ladder in there to wash windows or do anything else .... i would suggest you triple the size of the bed.. so that 1/3 is left blank..AFTER the plants mature ... we have not seen the whole house.. but it looks multi-story.. and your bed.. as it is.. is not in proportion to the height of the house ... and that might be why you are struggling to conceptualize .... do grasp.. that foundation plantings.. are planted to HIDE the foundation.. NOT ON THE FOUNDATION ... it is one of the greatest errors made by the homeowner ... with that simply thought in mind.. just walk the 'hood'.. and see if you can start spotting.. who has done it right.. and who put all those cute little potted plants 2 feet from the brick.. and now have problematic monster ... the solution to that corner .. is either back in that triangle behind.. unless there is a gate there ... or about 10 feet towards the camera .. in the lawn ... again.. you are focusing at the foundation of the corner... to make the corner disappear.. from where you took the pic.. does NOT mean ... you plant ON THE CORNER ... get out of the box you have placed yourself in ... good luck ken

If a shrub grows 5 feet wide, you can plant it four feet from another identical shrub, so they grow together. Plus, there is no rule that says you have to plant them in a straight line. If you stagger them, you can plant them even closer. That way, the planting is deeper but not as wide. Also, keep in mind that the stated size of a shrub is in ideal conditions, at maturity. Here are a few compact viburnums: V. carlesii 'Compactum' V. x Carlesii 'Cayuga' V. dentatum 'Cardinal Candy' V. opulus 'Nanum' If you are not married to the idea of using viburnums - which, as a species, are very sizeable shrubs - there are other shrubs that are suitable for foundation plantings: Clethra alnifolia (summersweet) Berberis (barberry) - numerous cultivars in green, gold and purple Buxus - several species and cultivars Ilex crenata - some cultivars, but mind that if you want berries, you need both at least one male plant for every four or five female plants, and the cultivars are either male or female and different cultivars may have different textures - 'Beehive' (male), 'Hoogendorn' (male), and 'Soft Touch' (female) Pieris japonica - several cultivars, including 'Bisbee Dwarf', 'Bonsai', 'Pygmaea' (also listed as f. pygmaea), 'Nocturne' 'Little Heath', and 'Cavatine' Abelia x grandiflora - several cultivars, including 'Compacta', 'Conti' (Confetti), 'Dwarf Purple', 'Little Richard', and 'Sunrise' Escallonia - several cultivars, including 'Newport Dwarf', 'Pink Pixie', and 'Red Elf' Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Kembu' Also, there are literally thousands of junipers, arborvitaes, chamacyparis, and other evergreen coniferous shrubs. And don't forget to consider ferns. There are several evergreen ferns (Polystichum munitum, P. acrostichoides, P. polyblepharum, Cyrtomium falacatum, Blechnum spicant, and Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance', to name a few. I hope this is helpful. Tammy

Even without an edge the place I rented in Seguin had a old (over 15 years) pair of Nandina domestica framing a window to 7 feet high and about 2-3 feet wide in the 5 years we were there I never messed with a shoot coming into the st.augustine grass that grew under and out from it. I worry about any stickery plant like barberry along a walk way personally. Gulfstream nandina is no longer patented and so will be more available and common and cheaper. It is not as tall but has many other positive atributes as a foundation planting. With shearing dwarf wax myrtle or yaupon would function but you will need to keep up the process so it doesn't encroach in your walkway. Maybe consider using one or the other to break up the nandina. Too me 40 feet is a long stretch for one type of plant but heh I am just a free flowing kinda that likes to play fast and loose, not tight and formal with a landscape.:) Of course this is just MHO and the choice is still yours Lou. Let us know what you come up with and hopefully there will be some more cool ideas for you to choose from. Like maybe bamboo mulhy for a contrast and its softening effect. Good Luck and Happy Growing David