you might want to dig a 6 inch hole .. a couple of them.. in the bed ... in june.. july.. august.. and find out how well those plants are competing for available moisture ... i think that is a great result.. and your only failure.. is the height of your expectation ... also.. depending on how deep your lot is.. you might want to plant a few small trees [redbud???].. halfway between your house.. and the alley[???] ... out in more sunshine ... those are not performing.. with vigor.. due to the reduced light of the giants they are planted under.. i often say.. to think outside the box of working ONLY at the property line ... regardless.. thx for the followup ... ken

It will always be competition for moisture with whatever shrubs you use.

Not sure if this is too late for you in your plant quest.... Did you know about the free plants available via Green Elephant plant swaps 1st Sat. November & again in March in Redmond, WA? Information posted on Pacific Northwest Plant Exchange forum & a website link there. Our family just found out about them last fall for perennials as well as some shrubs, vines, grasses, & edibles. We've received more plants than you can imagine some mature, some as rooted cuttings, or seedlings identified or not. Prior to GE we had just a handful of perennials and shrubs. Now we have lamium 'White Nancy', daylilies (named & not), bearded iris, strawberries, raspberries, hydrangea, currant, salvia, variegated dogwood, red twig dogwood, white lilac, fothergilla 'Blue Mist', cotoneaster, clematis, J. anemone, astrantia, lady's mantle, hosta, sedums (several types), 'London Pride', lemon balm, mint, chives, society garlic, brown weeping grass seedlings (likely sedge), 5 types of columbine, several different euonymous, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, persicaria, catmint, garden phlox, 'Ice Dance' carex, vinca major 'variegata', vinca minor, sweet woodruff, primrose, hardy geraniums, obedient plant, campanulas (several types), calla lily, small leafed ivy, alpine lady's mantle, ajuga (several types), etc. Not all survived the transplant process here or were labeled correctly, but 100s of dollars saved & what fun to share plants I've enjoyed with others. I potted up for weeks to just get them in something this spring until I was ready to put in the ground in the right place. Also gave me a chance to verify the plant ID & pick out any weeds intertwined in roots. I confess I still have plants in pots, but had to take a break from planting due to our daughter's wedding last week. Full speed ahead now this week again to get those groundcovers in place then mulched again. There is a free area as well as the swap items by each car. Anything that grows well here & is easily divided or rooted is likely brought to GE swaps, so you can save your $ for that special shrub or vine instead of spending on these types of things. We've filled 4 new planting areas with GE and the Olympia swap plants as well as sharing plants with friends, family & our camp. Ann Lovejoy's book about sustainable landscape design says to use 1/3 evergreen shrubs, 1/3 deciduous shrubs, & 1/3 perennials & bulbs. Plant according to Right Plant, Right Place (another recommended book) as well as the mature height so you're not pruning and dealing with overgrowing locations. Just decide what you want really in terms of color, size, shape, fruit, and maintenance. Hard to know sometimes what those are so you books might be helpful. For many years, I've read Marianne Binetti's columns & books for ideas. Her no-nonsense style & lazy gardener definitions are just what this perfectionist needs to get it done or toss it out if it doesn't "behave". Marianne Binetti's Carefree Landscaping is a great resource. Many of her books are in the KCLSystem. Use the GW search option for year-round interest or evergreen and you'll find resources and plant lists. I really like the Reader's Digest book suggested here awhile back for how it suggests companions for 4 seasons of color in the same location. Helped me decide plant placement & I moved several after looking at that book to create the designs suggested. Enjoy the process as well. I've learned a lot in my quest for low maintenance, year round color, focusing on spring & late fall/winter color. As Marianne Binetti says plants aren't children & it is okay to trash them if you don't want them anymore. Plant swaps are even a better way to get rid of them. I almost always have a start of shasta daisy, forget me not, bishop's weed groundcover, vinca major, and 'Wanda' primrose to share as those are long time vigorous growers in our gardens. Not for places you have delicate perennials though, but great for places kids or pets play as they'll survive almost anything with not much work on your part. Contact me directly if you want divisions. Corrine

Are you planning to walk in the area? Very few groundcovers will put up with that. But I think I'd recommend one of the quite flat creeping thymes. High Country Garden probably still carries a number of creeping thymes, and they'd be your best bet. It will take some time to fill in, will tolerate quite a bit of walking on (though not constantly--children or dogs playing for example-- and you could mix a few varieties. They release fragrance as you walk on them, flower, attract a lot of pollinating insects, and are pretty much evergreen. Just to add, zone 7 is QUITE a bit warmer than zone 5. The thymes will suffer some in zone 5 winters but will have no trouble at all in zone 7.