Are you sure you can fit a shrub in 32"? My kerria japonica sprawled over 6' in just a couple of years! Annabelle too. For a shrub, you might try Endless Summer Hydrangea. They don't get as big. Not sure how well they do in Z4. I think they are supposed to be Z4. The ferns will need decent moisture, but other than that they are pretty low maintenance and great texture. Lobelia can take shade and adds some height and late season eye-popping color. They come in lots of great colors. Obedient plant comes to mind too. Mine bloom at the same time as the lobelia in a shady damp area. Ligularia, also likes damp, is good for shade and has interesting foliage and bright color later in the season. Heuchera comes in tons of great colors and handles shade well. Although some of the darker ones might need sun to keep their best color, but you can experiment and try some. A decorative pot of elephant ears would make a nice focal point somewhere too. caladiums are nice for annual color in a shady area too. They are very fussy on cool temps so don't put them out too early. Nights have to be over 50.

To have a really easy area to maintain plant a small native tree. I can see a Texas or Mexican red bud planted near the wall which would cause it to lean gracefully over the bird bath. Neither one gets large in dry conditions and even the bare limbs in winter are graceful and would give the birds something to perch on. One of the small cultivars of nandinas in front of the windows and along the wall of the house would be colorful and would do well there also. Mexican feather grass is beautiful in all seasons and would make a graceful border along the brick edging. Perhaps dwarf monda (monkey grass) would be nice in the open center area. None of these would require trimming or maintainence. I would say don't plant too much and keep it simple and serene. Oh, and you might plant the regular nandina beside the AC to hide it. It grows vertically and would not overhang the walk. As you may know, it's evergreen, has flowers in spring, red berries and dark red foliage in fall and winter and requires absolutely no care. Happy planting!

I am with Dottie that you would do well to plant next fall (mid-September to late October in your zone) to allow root growth but have less stress on the plants due to shorter, cooler days. Regardless of what you plant, it will need regular water until the ground freezes. This season you can evaluate the site and plan so that you are ready come fall. I also agree with Dottie about voles - you could ask on the perennial forum or on the shrub forum (whatever type of plant you end up with) for suggestions that seem less attractive to voles. Most types of deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) are hardy to zone 7, so not an option for you, though there are some types rated for colder temperatures such as 'Kashmir', 'Shalimar' and 'Polar Winter'. I'd check around at local garden centers, botanical gardens, and arboretums to see if anyone has local information as to how they do before planting them. It's tough having a borderline hardy tree that does well for several years and then is half-killed during a particularly cold winter. My inclination would be to plant native plants or ones that you are sure don't have escapist tendencies since you are on the edge woodlands, and plants such as ivy or vinca can grow into the woods, disrupting the native plants. You may find that you have already existing woodland spring wildflowers when you go into the woods in the spring. (Be aware that spring is the worst time for ticks, though they around all of the warm season, so get in the habit of doing a careful check of clothes whenever you have been out in the yard, and of your entire body at least once a day if you have been outside at all. It takes a few minutes, but I include it in my bedtime routine and haven't had an embedded tick yet, though I find them on my skin and clothes often.) Light levels: If you plant the slope with typical meadow wildflowers, you may have mixed results, depending on the amount of sun you have. Something like Rudbeckia is really a sun flower, and so may not do particularly well there. I would start taking photos at 8:00, 10, noon, 2, and 4:00. Do this at the spring solstice (mid-March, 1st day of spring), and about once a month up until the summer solstice (mid-June, 1st day of summer.) This will give you a good idea of how much sun you actually get there. If you want to try Rudbeckia, I'd go ahead and do that this spring since it will establish better with less established grass. By planting time, you may have a pretty good idea of how much sun the area gets. Water and nutrients: You might want to ID the trees along the top of the slope; depending on what you have, they may send out more or fewer shallow roots into the slope area to compete with whatever you plant. I say this because they look to me like red maples, which have fast-growing shallow roots and will compete for water and nutrients with whatever you plant. So the sooner you plant, the sooner what you plant gets established enough to be able to compete with the red maples. If you have oaks, they won't be an issue since their roots are deeper. Watch the slope and see how water levels fluctuate over the year. If it is a recently cut bank, the soil may actually be subsoil and benefit from adding organic matter to the surface, or there may be springs that will cause problems if not addressed. I'd also get a soil test done (Cornell U does them among other places) to see what will grow well in your soil. For instance, that might be a lovely place for some rhododendrons, but only if you have acid soil. Mowing: If you end up deciding to keep this meadow, it will need mowing 2-4 times a year with a brush mower to keep out woody plants. In my area those woodies include sweet fern, red maple, staghorn, sumac, white pine, black cherry, all of which like open areas for their seedlings. Seeds will blow in or be brought in by animals, and some of them will start growing, often including non-native invasives such as buckthorn, bittersweet, barberry, burning bush, and Japanese honeysuckle. In the northeast and Great Lakes area, unmowed areas will always turn into forest eventually, so you want to mow to prevent the process from getting started. In our field we time mowings to allow the ground-nesting birds' chicks to hatch undisturbed (turkeys are our most frequent ground nesters), and to allow certain plants to bloom, but for a chunk of time it is just mowed field. You can time one of your mowings for early fall just before the leaves change color, which will allow flower seeds to ripen but prevent baby trees from storing nutrients. Your landscaper may have access to a brush mower to do this for you. Regardless, the part you keep for sledding will need either regular mowed grass or the periodic Consider a mixed shrub border for the less steep part of the slope. I have one that is heavily mulched or groundcovers between plants and edged to keep out grass, and I only spend a few hours a year (perhaps an hour a month) weeding it, and it's probably about 15'x70'. It provides blooms, varied summer foliage, winter evergreens and berries, and colorful fall foliage for very little maintenance work. In the late fall or early spring I use hedge clippers to whack off the perennials and clematis to ground level. This one is full sun, but I have others in less than half day sun with a mix of shrubs and a few perennials, also edged and heavily mulched. This one is about 5 years old. Fall Spring early Winter So you have lots of options, but specific plant recommendations depend on your goals, your soil, and your sun levels.

Sorry for the delay in answering...my brother in law passed away after a long illness. My sister in law just had a triple bypass on top of other health issues..so we have been helping her. (she can't stay alone) Thanks for the tip about Crep! I will try them tomorrow. (back at the office and swamped playing catch up! lol Kelly, H have Nahema and have enjoyed the few blooms I have had. She is still young and not putting out new growth from the ground...but does send out shoots with buds. I am now cutting off the buds to focus on root growth. Very healthy, just hasn't taken hold, I guess...