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.

I've tried orange peels and rose cuttings at the same time(chopped up and spread around the garden) and that seems to keep them from using it as a litter box, they still come by and chase birds and squirrels! Next year I would like to add some gardens to attract song birds so if the neighbors don't take them in, we'll have them trapped and call "Animal Control" to pick them up... it's sad to think they'll be outdoors in the bitter cold all winter. :( *Bee*

I mean't MALVA -SYLVESTRIS I believe is what I have! It is in the shade/part shade with hostas lining the back of the one of my gardens...it grows like 2-3 feet tall and blooms little purple flowers all over it from mid summer-late fall!I mean TONS penny size purpleand white flowers all over it!Not to mention, it reseeds its self prolifically!!!So it is a perennial here! I rarely watered mineand it did just perfect! It is for sure one of my favorites out there!!! I got minefrom Wagner's Greenhouse off Penn and 62 but you might be able to get seeds!

I would add the suggestion to use some evergreen (they can be flowering too) shrubs as an anchor for the perennials. That way you will have something nice to look at in the winter too. Some nice, low maintenance ones would include Indian Hawthorns, Korean boxwood, Dwarf Yaupon, Encore Azaleas and some of the dwarf nandinas like Harbor Belle or Firepower. You will want a few tall, vertical shrubs too, like Emerald Arborvitae or junipers. These are nice at corners or on either side of a doorway. Small trees can also be lovely at the corner of a house: Japanese Maples, Crape Myrtles, or Redbuds are choice. Here are a few of my favorite plants that you could add to your considerations: Carefree Sunshine Rose (yellow), Oso Easy Paprika Rose (cantaloupe orange), Homerun Rose (red), daylilies, crinum lilies (bulbs). No flower I know will give you the months of easy color that colored foliaged shrubs will. Japanese berberis are great in the south. I especially like Aurea (chartreusey yellow) and Rose Glow (purple, marbled with pink) is nice too. Purple Pixie Loropetalum has beautiful purple foliage and stays nice and low, and it's evergreen. There are dwarf crape myrtles too. As you shop and consider, do keep in mind the mature size of your plants. If the tag says it will be four feet x four feet, in the south, you can figure that it will be that and more. The key to low maintenance is choosing plants that are well suited to their situation and that don't have to be constantly trimmed to maintain the size you want. And, by the way, make your beds plenty deep. Any planting looks better if it is 3 to 5 plants deep. Allow a couple of empty feet at the back of the beds to make it easy tot wash windows, paint, etc. You can figure that almost any shrub will need a four x four foot square of space in a few short years. Therefore, if you have 3 rows of shrubs in a foundation bed, you will want a minimum of fourteen feet from the house wall. Add another foot or two if you want to edge the bed with flowers, monkey grass, etc. FYI, Encore Azaleas come in a wide variety of sizes. In recent years some have been introduced that stay very low. These are well worth seeking out. And finally, don't forget monkey grasses (liriopes and ophiopogons). I know they are used to death in the south, but it's because they are so hard to beat. They're evergreen, tough and undemanding. Do some research. There are many kinds and colors available. I like to use them as edgings, but also in massive sweeps, especially around a ground level porch.