Well, it's hard to know what different people consider "out of the ordinary", but here are some ideas anyway. Double check the sun/shade conditions to make sure they meet your needs:

• Coastal Leucothoe (L. axillaris) - got mine at HD, hasn't gotten very tall, recommended as a low plant

• Prague viburnum (often a passalong)

• Florida Leucothose (gets taller than the other - agarista populifolia is the scientific name)

• Dwarf wax myrtle (got mine at Buck Jones)

• Mountain Laurel (put in the shadiest spot, 4-6 hours of sun will help it flower), many cultivars, don't see this much in gardens

Evergreen
Extraordinary
Pink blossoms
In the sun

Are you sure these are the only qualifiers?

You mention 'pink fringe' bush -- is that loropetalum? They're about the toughest evergreen with pink blossoms that I know. There is a dwarf variety. The big ones can be pruned espalier-fashion. They come in different pink shades from blush to magenta red.

The styrax might offer enough shade to get Camellia sasanquas started behind them. They will grow in sun once they get established and come in lovely pinks.

Would you consider gardenia? Despite all the hoopla on GW over gardenias, they grow quite easily in your area. They're old fashioned, but the blooms are white. They do require a little soap spray for white fly on occasion, worth the effort.

How about plain green shrubs and let a pink clematis clamber over them? The clematis would enjoy roots in the shade of the shrubs, vine and blossoms in the sun.

Nell

Nell, height is also a qualifier for the shrubs.
Yes, lorapetalum, and I do have one GORGEOUS out the front in all it's gaudy glory. I would consider more, but I'm hoping the three shrubs behind the styrax will bloom at a slightly different time. This area of the garden is small, so staggering bloom is important to me. There are so many "spring only" gardens in Atlanta for color, I am trying to get it going all year round. And yes, the area where the three shrubs will be will probably end up draped in purple and "red" clematis, and probably fall blooming will tangle itself through there.
Camellias would not do well in this area - they would need love to be established, and it is WAY to hot in the PM's for them. The reason shrubs are going in there is because it is very hard for me to get back in that area. I need something that doesn't need a heck of a lot of pruning. I have many gardenias elsewhere, and they need frequent deadheading when in bloom so they don't have brown blobs all over them. Again, hard to do in this situation....
I have emailed Westender, because she gave me a shrub last year that might actually do the trick. I'd forgotten about it....it is evergreen and looks like a hydrangea. I don't remember the name, and I don't remember the exact requirements, and I don't remember the flower color...I do remember she said it was insanely hard to kill, and easy to root.

I like Esh's suggestions, and I am starting many of those shrubs for my shadier areas with cooler root runs.

So now I need one slightly lower evergreen shrub...I want to plant it in front of the chinese snowball bush (a viburnum)...full hot sun and no extra water. Color is less important than bloom time is...late would be nice. There is a lorapetalum, a "hooker pink" knockout rose, yellow jessamine, yellow honeysuckle and a blue vitex in the neighbourhood... it is a transitional area that goes from a rather "hot pink/Fushia" and blue to yellow/orange/apricot ... (well, I'm trying, OK????). There COULD be no flowers, but then again, I'm a flower floozie!!

GGG

Abelia is evergreen, blooms in summer, pink small flowers, and needs absolutely no care (at least in my garden). I love it because it's a bee/butterfly magnet.
Also, I have a Duchesse de Brabant rose that I've had going on three years (I'm hoping this, its third summer, will knock me out with blooms!) and it is somewhat semi-evergreen. It doesn't need pruning except some dead branches in early spring (but if it's in front that shouldn't be too hard plus almost no thorns), it doesn't lose all its leaves in summer to blackspot, it has wavy lovely leaves, and the light pink cup-shaped flowers are to die for.

Another thought: rosemary grows to be about 4' tall, and makes purple blooms right about now, but gets knobby knees in old age. I love rosemary bushes, though.

Just some suggestions!
Rose

I have a couple other suggestions:

Viburnum x 'Conoy':small evergreen 4 to 5' high and wide with very glossy leaves and nice clusters of only slightly fragrant white flowers with colorful berries to follow.

Cryptomeria j. 'Gyokruyu': has interesting growth pattern to about 4 to 5'

I have both in full sun with no supplemental water. Both were planted in fall of 2003. Gyokruyu was 9"x16" then, its 35"x40" now. Conoy was 8"x15", now 20"x45"

I like all the plants mentioned so far. Its really great to live in a place where there are so many possibilities.

I wonder if the plant you are thinking about from Westender is Glorybower?

Here is a link that might be useful: Glorybower

Some of the hollies might be tough enough and provide berries for winter color. Which one is the question......
Also, I have a michelia figo (name might have changed recently) which is a very pleasant evergreen, magnolia-related shrub, about 4ft high after 3 years. Gets banana-scented cream flowers in spring. Seems not to need much extra help and does not get attacked by anything (so far). Gordonia would be another idea along similar lines.
You see camellia sasanquas in full sun looking quite happy, so I second the idea suggested earlier of trying them.

Camellias will just get way, way too large over time, unfortunately. I have many planted elsewhere on the property...the plant I was thinking about that Westender gave me is Dichroa febrifuga. It is evergreen here, and this is the description from Collectors Nursery "A hydrangea relative, with glossy bright evergreen toothed foliage, with a growth habit similar to a Hydrangea, and clusters of small pale lavender flowers with reflexed petals. Clusters of shiny blue berries follow. Very showy, and beautiful in light shade. z7-8". It gets electric blue berries on it, which I really like...and that will look nice with the metalic blue pods on the Blue Bean Shrub-Decaisnea fargesii .
I was also pleased to see some rostrinuculas listed as being evergreen in the PNW area. Dependans has preformed just as well here as it does there...but who the heck carries these things. If I could only get some seeds...
The convoy viburnum may make the cut. They are really nice. Thanks gaalan

GGG

how about pittosporum tobira? i grow the variegated form(tall) and it has a slightly open habit similar to a wax myrtle, though not as tall. there is a smaller form ('wheeler's dwarf'?) available, as well. the evergreen foliage is sort of a sage green w/cream variegation and they have fragrant flowers in spring. i think the foliage combines well with something having pink flowers.

Hi Jeff:
I was hoping you would chime in. I do have the shorter Wheeler's dwarf green, and then the shorter variegated pittosporums. I LOVE them and highly recommend them. They have a foliage pattern different than so many landscape evergreens here, and contrast nicely. I would definately plant these elsewhere in the garden. Mine have never flowered (and it's been about 3 years the green one has been in). I did not know about the taller one, I'm going to go look it up!!

GGG

What about a pink flowering Indian Hawthorn. They don't get too big, slow growers , evergreen, full sun and low maintanence.

here is a thumbnail of a different gardenia. if you like variegated foliage, these leaves are beautiful in dappled sunlight.
it has not flowered since i have had it but i assume they do at some point. anybody know for sure? not critical to my keeping the shrub; the foliage is why i grow it.
anyway, it is unusual and has so much white in the leaves so seems to prefer a site out of hot, afternoon sun. i moved it to a more shady location and the leaves look better. it gets winter sun through deciduous trees and bright, filtered light with some direct sun in summer.
it is presently about 3.5' tall.

Jeff, those are beauties. Do you have any idea what kind of gardenia that is? I would love to use them, especially in my back yard. One of the taller variegated pittosporum as a "tree" in some area, and then a few of these would really light up the back with some white in the foliage when things are not in flower.

GGG

hi ggg,
i found this site with a description and it appears to be my plant based on the pattern;
g. augusta 'variegata'.
the taxonomists are using "augusta" these days instead of "jasminoides" for the species name, from what i read.
this site says it produces flowers and is a slow grower.
it was an "off the rack" plant at a local box store garden center a few years ago. you might want to look at lowe's or home depot in a month or so.

Here is a link that might be useful: variegated gardenia