Annabelle hydrangea might fill it in nicely - they get quite tall. I love ostrich ferns although they do tend to go dormant late in the season when I cut them back. How tall is tall for your space like 4-5'?

How about azaleas or rhododendrons? They are good shade plants with beautiful flowers.

Joe Pye weed is an option that will tolerate light shade. However, it won't provide screening in the winter.

Hybrid musk roses do well in partial shade, but they may get larger than your space. Lavender Lassie, Cornelia, and others would look nice with the lilacs and hollyhocks...and they repeat bloom. Alba roses also like shade, but they only bloom once, but are supposed to be very pretty with a nice fragrance :)

How tall do you need it to be? Kalmia or Andromeda may be nice evergreen shrub options. I actually also have a Rose of Sharon in some pretty deep shade that doesn't take up too much space and still blooms profusely. Another shrub that might be nice is Kerria japonica. It will bloom in shade and has nice green stems for winter interest.

Lavender-at our local garden center, I found a variety of rose called "Rosa Rugosa". is that a musk rose?

And alba roses? are those the same as "rosa rugosa"? They have a ton of roses at my local garden center, so I need help trying to figure out how to actually find a musk rose or albarose!!!!!!

Rugosa roses are usually very winter hardy and often deer resistant, but I think they like more sun. Hybrid musks roses are easier to find by name...like Cornelia, Penelope, Lavender Lassie, etc. Hybrid musks and albas (although they might be available at a local garden center) might be easier to find at a local nursery that specializes in larger selections of roses and other plants.

Rugosa roses are a great rose for someone just starting out, so if you have a sunny spot where they have some room to grow, it might be fun to try one. They are usually (and I say this since I'm in a different area of the country) fairly easy to grow :)

I will go to our local garden centers here and see if they have any albas. It sounds like they might do well in the area I'm thinking about. would the tag say "rosa var alba" or just "alba rose" or would i have to know the specific variety of alba?

What I would really love to do is grow a small tree in the area but not sure. I am going to post a pic tommorow so you guys get a better picture of what I'm dealign with and that will maybe help out. I'm desparate to fill that spot with cottagey loveliness! It's a gaping hole between the lilacs and hollyhocks!

while we're talking about roses, the perfect rose for a cottage garden is the fairy rose!

Just to give you an idea, here are some hybrid musk roses from Rogue Valley Roses. Sizes are approximate and vary depending upon climate, winters, etc. I always subtract a few feet, since we have a much colder climate on the east side of the state than on the coast :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Hybrid Musks

Here are some albas. They only bloom once, but they're very winter hardy...often to zone 3 and 4. RVR also lists roses by whether they're shade tolerant and/or thornless.

If you find a rose you like, you can look it up on the internet and find out all kinds of information on how to grow it, where to buy it, etc. Sometimes you can find certain roses locally, other times you have to buy it from a nursery.

I've gotten roses from Heirloom Roses, Rogue Valley Roses and Northland Rosarium and all three have been very nice roses. I'm sure there are some great nurseries in your area, too. Have fun looking :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Alba roses

The only problem with roses in shady areas (wet shady areas) is that they won't produce as many flowers and they will be prone to disease like mildew, black spots, and bacterial problems.

Right - I have not had any luck at all with roses in a shady location.

Another idea to add if you can is monkshood, aconite. I have several tall spires of it behind my annabelle hydrangeas against the deck - they get a little straight sun in the morning and then filtered shade and have done great - they get quite tall - 5' or so with tall spires of delphinium concept blooms but are a deep blue purple in September. I always really enjoy them and they grow well with the hydrangea.

How about an Oakleaf Hydrangea. Grows tall pretty quickly. I love it. Has paperbark stems for winter interest, beautiful fall foliage and beautiful, rose, pink white cone shape hydrangeas in the summer.

I don't know if a rose would be the best plant for your space, or not, but some roses will do very well in shady areas. Rogue Valley Roses states that many albas will grow well under trees (one of the few rose types that do) in their gardens.

In Oakleyok's front porch thread (I bumped it up) Annie lists several roses that will do well in partial shade...at least in Oklahoma. All climates are different and I recommend that you go to the rose forum and ask people that might be closer to your location. There are many roses that are much easier to take care of than the hybrid teas that you usually find at the local home centers :)

Well, I went to home depot today and picked up a japanese maple that gets about 10'. I have pictures below showing the space where it is going that I'm having trouble with, and then a pic with the tree (its still in a pot, not enough time to plant it).

I saw the oak leaf hydrangea and it reminded me a lot of ninebark so I passed on it. Do you have any photos of it in full bloom?

I am not wedded to putting the jap maple there, I can also put it in the frotn yard, so if any of you can think of something else there, share your thoughts!

I decided a vine wouldn't work because I'd have to cut it down when and if they decide to finally paint the wall. But now after all this talking I HAVE to have an alba rose so one of those will be coming in spring, I think!!!!!1

I also could put a redbud or crabapple, but nothing much bigger.

It must get at least partial sun there because the raspberries i planted there aren't dying , so...

Are you looking for something that will get taller than the fence to the left? The maple would probably work in that spot, but you'd want to plant it further out from the house. What is the mature spread on the maple you purchased according to the tag?

The oakleaf hydrangea would definitely fill that area and grow to the height of the fence. I have mine in a fairly small area and prune it to keep it in check. I love the oakleaf hydrangeas not only for their bloom but the fall color is phenomenal, reminds me of leather.

That is really interesting! I might have to reconsider that for the space. Now I'm not sure...

The tag said it only gets 8-10' tall and up to an 8' spread so, it should be ok. I would definitely plant it at least 3 feet from the house, that's just where I plopped the pot. They really need to paint but I guess that's what happens when you're in the city.

I'm worried the japanese maple won't grow fast enough to cover everything, etc. We'll see. Now I'm really intrigued by the hydrangea. Oh well, another trip to the garden center couldn't hurt, could it? :).

I planned on planting foxglove "excelsior hybrid" below the maple so I will have to figure out what to do with those if I put the hydrangea there.

The tag also says "red leafed japanese maple" and it sure doesn't have red leaves so I'm not sure how much I trust the tag!!!!!!!