This isn't a wish list of mine, but have you tried Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Son flower) a terrific flowering tree-like shrub that would grow for you.

And what about all the great viburnums!

I bought 8 this year. I'm hoping that my thoughts that zone is soon to be zone 6 are correct. They are mini crepe myrtles but they are crepe myrtles nevertheless. The red Hopi ones are taking off like wildfire. The smaller unnamed pink and white ones are blooming thier little hearts out. I couldn't believe it when I saw them at the garden center.
All of these ARE hardy to zone 6. BTW I'm also growing rhodies and hydrangeas that would be blue if I wanted to put more additives in the soil.

What about lilacs? They like a higher ph and take very cold temperatures.

Crape myrtles are called the lilacs of the South because we grow them in place of lilacs. If your climate is hospitable to lilacs, I don't know why you'd want a crape myrtle.

I'm almost positive your crape myrtles will be fine... They may not be trees like in the south, but they will most definitely be root hardy (like a butterfly bush), grow 4-6ft in one season and flower in August-September provided you have a lot of summer heat... They have survived here for me in NE Oh for almost 10 years as dieback shrubs. In mild winters, like last, they don't even dieback... The only problem I have encountered is insufficient bloom due to lack of summer heat and sunshine...

I'm in zone 6b in SE PA. I have 15 Crape Myrtles in slightly acid, neutral, and slightly alkaline soils.

There are 11 Chickasaws; 1 Pokomoke, and 3 Pink Velour.

Seven of the Chickasaws--24" around--are in their 3rd year and still blooming. I believe they will bloom into October. Then there is the Pokomoke--36" across. These two types of dwarfs leaf-out late in Spring. You may think they are dead. I gave up on my Pokomoke this year but left it in the ground just in case. It is now in full leaf, happy, and blooming. These are tough little plants.

My first Pink Velour was planted last August in a Winter wind tunnel. It too leafed out late but is now a beautiful bush about 6' tall and 3' around. My other two Pink Velours were planted in the last couple of months and they will taste the 35 and 40 mph northwest winds this Winter.

If you buy the dwarfs, give them plenty of time to leaf-out in the Spring or early Summer. The first year in your garden these little guys may grow from their roots. After that, they will start blooming from their branches. That has been my experience in this zone.

Well, in the theme of the thread...

I want everything that blooms in full sun, because I have, at the very peak of summer, one spot that gets six hours of sun from about 7AM, and most of the yard gets far less.

So I want roses. I want vines that bloom all over the place. I want rose of sharon. I want butterfly bushes. I want lots and lots of blooms over a long period of time.

Instead I have rhodies that do quite well, native low bush blueberries that do great, and a whole lot of things that do barely OK because they don't get enough sun. I finally gave up on my lilacs; huge, lovely bushes with nary a bloom anywhere no matter how I adjust the pH.