How about something like Moonbeam Coreopsis or one of the small perennial geraniums - In my garden, I do not need to divide either of these regularly.

Beth
Z5 Northern Michigan

Karmina Geranium is actually a strong contender right now.

I was trying to avoid yellow, but Moonbeam would be a nice selection. Although my experience with Corepsis is that they require regular dividing otherwise they open in the middle. My Zagreb (which is an improved cultivar over Moonbeam) needed division after 2 years.

Did I seriously murder the grammer that badly in my posting's subject line?lol?

Snowdrop anenomes bloom in the late spring and do have a spreading tendancy. Japanese anenomes bloom in the late summer and fall. The only catch is that they won't tolerate dry soil.

Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower) makes a virtual carpet of blue, lavender, or white, star-like blossoms and are drought tolerant. It blooms in late spring/early summer, but when I cut back the blooms, it produces another show around now.

Maybe this helps?
Good Luck. Lance in British Columbia, Canada

Zagreb coreopsis is MUCH more agressive and dense growing than Moonbeam for me. I agree that Zagreb needs regular division, and I give it away all the time. Moonbeam is a totally different animal. It is also a softer yellow.

I think if you search the archives, you'll find a thread on Zagreb vs moonbeam...

Beth
Z5 Northern Michigan

Campanula poscharskyana did not do well for me in full sun on the edge of a raised bed. It just stayed small and bloomed occasionally. Finally ripped it out this week.

I know people hate the layered look but I'm thinking Tor Spirea to the back, Karmina Geranium to the front, Little Lime Hydrangea to the far left and then Autumn Charm Sedum to fill the void in the middle.

northerngirl_mi, how would you describe moonbeam's habit? I haven't grown it and the plants I've see at the nurseries are typically more spreading/sprawly in habit.

Hmmm...all you perrenial fanantics are pretty quiet!lol!

Wondering if anyone else has any suggestions, shrubs or perrenials. Garden center I frequently visit is starting their deep discounts early this year!

My inclination would be to repeat selections from the border along the house front in the kidney-shaped bed. This would provide a more unified look for the front of the house - in my backyard anything goes. LOL. Here I think you need a neat coordinated look between the two beds.

I would select the most interesting architectural looking shrub from the front house plantings and reuse it on the left side of the new bed, then select two plants from the perennials already used, one taller than the other, or with contrasting foliage, and plant groupings of 3-5-7 (depending on eventual size of the perennials and the size of the new bed) of each type. You could use two rows, or my preference, two clusters somewhat offset from each other in the middle of the bed.

Another way to go would be to tie the colors closer together - decide on a color scheme, pick out the main color and accent colors and then reuse it, or a part of it, in the new bed. You can play around with changing the amount of the individual colors that you select. This is another kind of repetition which helps to unify the garden and works especially well when the bed conditions are different (so it is difficult to use the same plant from area to area).

BTW, it is hard to tell in the picture but I believe that you also need something tall at the corner of the house. I would think an evergreen. There are not too many choices in zone 5. but an upright juniper, pine, arborvitae or yew would work, or another deciduous tree with a small cluster of evergreens in a semi-circle in front or to the side of it. You could then echo that evergreen in the new kidney-shaped bed, but selecting a squater version.

I like the kidney shape..what about some planting some spring bulbs this Fall in there? Maybe place some medium size rocks, scattered around and you could include dianthus, forget-me-nots, some short daisies, some May Night salvia and save some room for some annuals that you can add in the spring.