Welcome to the forum. We have a great bunch of folks here. I am sorry I can't be of much help as I am pretty green and am quite a bit warmer than you. This may be a little general but have you looked at roses, potentilla or dogwoods?

Gardening with foresight is beyond my mental capabilities. :)

SCG

I'm really liking ninebarks right now. They're beautiful and pretty trouble-free. Dwarf (Korean) lilacs are nice too. And mockorange is always a winner. I even like bridal wreath spirea, but it's kind of dated.

Weigela is nice but it's not super hardy here. It dies back somewhat, and it won't bloom after a bad winter. It's worth picking up if you find one on sale like I did.

The spireas are all pretty tough,(stay away from the ashleaf varieties - sorbaria sorbifolia - they are tough but sucker a lot), cranberries(for berries, fall colour)dogwoods if you have a moist to wet spot, Morden Golden Glow Elder should do fine for you, ninebarks - summer wine is a good one, Coppertina and Satin Chocolate have been aphid magnets for me for some reason, Russian almond, western sandcherry, purple leaf sandcherry can be nice if it has good snow cover, Mohican wayfaring tree - nice for berries for birds and jam for you, weigela Centennial is a good hardy one, sumac suckers all over the place - not one I would ever plant again and as mentioned roses - I`m really liking Campfire from the Canadian Artists series - planted one last year out at my brother`s ranch - came back strong after a brutal winter here in the chinook zone - has outperformed some other, older established hardy roses. Anyway, this will give you some ideas. The link will help you to see what some of these look like if you are not familiar with them. Scroll down to Find Plants, click on Find Plants at a Local Garden Centre, choose one and click on it and then click on View All Plants then choose Deciduous Shrubs and you can research to your heart`s content!

Here is a link that might be useful: Deciduous Shribs

I love my ninebarks as well - i have Coppertina and it has done really well. Centreglow is in the shade and not as nice as Coppertina. I also have a really lovely viburnum (Mohican).

Gil, i have a mockorange that has never bloomed or even flourished. I'm thinking of trying to move it, but not sure where i could put it. It's in an east facing bed and might be a little shaded by a lilac now. Any recommendations?

It's weird because my Ninebark Coppertina is very small this year. It did not leaf out until very late, and then the leaves were small and not that full. It is like half its size last year. Very weird....

My dogwood Elegantissima is doing GREAT and is loving its fairly full sun and moist location.

Marcia, I have a few mockoranges around the yard in part shade and they all do well. Maybe it doesn't like your soil? At my old house there was one at the north facing front door and even it did okay but it was leggy.

Sandcherries do not do well around here. I had one and have seen several in commercial plantjngs and they all end up getting shovel pruned because they die to the ground every year, leaving an unsightly mass of dead twigs.

Welcome!
We have Mockorange in shade and sun, both flower,..this one
is in the sun.

Hmmm. My mockorange is about 3 feet high, about 4 or 5 branches. I've been thinking of moving it for a few years (takes me awhile....), and i think i will try to find another spot for it to see how it will do.

I've been threatening to shovel prune my sandcherry for years. Maybe the mockorange could go there... (Who am i kidding? LOL)

marciaz3 you could also shovel prune both and acquire two new, even if the same plants. I hear it feels good and is liberating!

SCG

Yeah, but it sounds too much like work! LOL Actually, i was thinking about where the sandcherry is and it will eventually be overshadowed by a nearby Manitoba maple, so that site is out. Have to think of somewhere else. :)