I'm not too sure about my zone either. I live in Huntsville, about 70 miles or so north of houston

Lindsay,
You don't have "weird" areas, you simply have challenging areas! All gardeners face them. And, don't worry about some plants dieing--it happens to the best of gardeners.
The purple-leaved shrub you mention may have been liropetalum, which is also known as Chinese Fringe tree. It is a small multi-trunked tree, which can be used as a shrub. It does well in partial shade. Also, mutabilis rose gets about 6'-8' tall, is practically thornless, and has orange hips for winter interest. It does well in sun-part shade. for scent near your porch, consider glossy abelia (attracts hummingbirds) or eleagnus (which has long canes that have to be cut back about twice a year). Along your house where the sun disappears about 2 pm is absolutely ideal for roses. Try some of the antiques (the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence is a great source, and they are very helpful to "newbies"). Roses like morning sun and afternoon shade in Texas, don't we all!
I think your area is 8b. However, much depends on whether you are hilltop or valley, the soil you have, and prevailing winds. Windy sites have less powdery mildew; hilltops take care of drainage problems; and if you have good soil, go for it!
One last suggestion, (and I apologize for the length of this reply) have you thought of mixing plants in the hedge areas? That way, if one should die, you don't have a "hole" in your hedge, and with a mix of plants you get longer bloom/scent/interest. Eight identical plants in a row are much less interesting to the eye than eight plants of perhaps two or three different kinds. Just an idea.
Anyhow, welcome to the Gardenweb, a place full of interesting, helpful and knowledgeable people who really and truly love gardening.

Marlin,
I have thought of roses the bush type or just the stalk type but I was always told that they needed full sun no matter what. Well, thats what my grandmother told me.... About 8 years ago I planted 4 roses I got in a bag I think right out in the middle of my yard in clay soil and never did much with them. Not much water not much of anything. And they would just bloom and bloom. Big blooms too. 2 were red and the other 2 were pink. If I remember right they were antique roses, and from what I have read on here they dont need much fluff to grow well. Which is my cup of tea :)
Last year I bought 13 oleanders (before I knew they were poisenous, luckily they are in the front yard...) and put them along the southern part of my yard where there is no fence as a border. In the beginning I know I watered too much because thier leaves started to turn yellow. So I stopped watering, and they were fine and I didnt water at all during the summer (we had a wet summer though to be fair :) )
Yeah the different plants could be interesting. I was thinking of kind of zig zagging them. I think I have enough room to do that. The "bed" is not that wide, but luckily the next door neighbor is not a jerk, and his house is pretty far away from mine. So it would be ok if they went onto his area meaning branches or whatever.
I really do like the lilies and the cannas. I know cannas grow pretty tall, there is also a huge square blank spot in the front that is like a blank canvas, it looks bare, so I thought cannas. The square is my house LOL.But I have also been reading that termites are just rediculous and I dont want to get termites as we have an older wood frame house. that area is middaysun no morning shady spotted afternoon sun. I dont think lilies would get tall enough for that area its about 15-20 ft tall and WHITE!!!
I have a bed in the front made out of cinder blocks it is fairly big and I will be planting ferns and stuff like that in the front. I have been putting ALL the leaves in there through out the fall. It kind of curves around trees and such, but its pretty much full shade except in the late afternoon.
So, on the mixing shrubs, would it look better to have a progressive color from light to dark, or just placed in micellaneous areas no pattern?
Can I plant them now or do I need to wait? If the nurseries have them does that mean I can plant them now?

I have almost the same situation as you do--partially shaded area along the hot concrete driveway. I planted privet and it is doing great (lots of folks hate privet since it is naturalizing but I shear to the point of no seeds). It is in deep shade from a large overhanging tree during most of the day but gets intense light late afternoons if a car is not parked in the drive. I shear the hedge so it is very narrow and hoping for height. They need lots of water first years so I ran a soaker down the hedge line and I mulch with tree leaves and pine bark. Fertilize and it will grow fast even though tree roots are competing.

Have you thought about some cannas in the area? They are easy.

RED,

There is a multitude of leaves and pine here!! I would just hav to rake leaves over and I am done, and some would even fall right into place!! I do like privet, I think they are pretty with the multi colored leaves and all. Mine dont have to be SUPER tall just tall.

Mike, yeah I like cannas, but I have only seen red, do they come in different colors?

Hi Lindsay, me again. Roses do need sun, but remember you are in Texas and almost NO plant needs full sun! Roses do best with sun until about 2 pm, then shade or dapple shade. As to color-coordinating your hedge, personally I like a mix of colors, textures and bloom times. That prevents the "industrial" look in plantings. As to planting now, I just don't know. I usually plant in the fall, but early spring (late February) is also good. Is there a good privately owned nursery near you? You might want to have a chat with someone there--especially if you tell them you are a novice gardener with beds to plant. They will want you to succeed because they see years of purchases coming! Also, if you go to your library and get Neil Sperry's Gardening in Texas, there are good illustrations and descriptions of various plants and their growing zones.
Cannas come in a wide variety of colors, even some bi-colors and speckled ones, and they come in dwarf to tall, so get a good catalog or go on-line and discover canna heaven!

Marlin,

you make a good point with the no plant needs full sun in Texas. I planted some lanatna with the multi colored blooms (BEAUTIFUL BTW) 2 miniature crepe myrtles, and some mexican heather by my mailbox, now that got the full day sun from almost dawn until pretty much dusk. By the end ofthe summer..... they were a little on the crisp side :)Even with water..... well I did my best to remember :) I did good though. I will have to replant them. I was thinking of roses there at the mailbox, or something like the honeysuckle since I have heard you cant kill it and it wil grow anywhere. It will be far enough away from my other plants to invade....Its a good 20+ feet away from anything. I know just where to get some cuttings to. I grew up with it around my house.
Then rose hedges would be awesome around my house then, and that is exactly what I wanted around my house and it gets sun until about 2 and shade after. PERFECT!! Plus they will have a wind breaker for winter months. Oh this is so nice now being able to hear the "truth" LOL
The only privately owned nursery here would be Stewarts, they are a little high, but I am not far from Houston or Tomball where the rose emporium is. My mom lives in Spring and I know there are a couple of good ones around there. I had no idea that cannas came is so many colors. I will try to find a canna catalouge. Thanks..

Hello Lindsay,
You've gotten a lot of guidance from everyone. I can tell you about the sweet olives. Be sure to get them from a reputable nursery and not Walmart. I made that mistake and it appears that they are the ONLY variety that is NOT fragrant. I learned that in my Master Gardener class. It made me so mad that I wanted to come home and rip everyone up. But, it has taken soooo long for them to grow that I'm not touching them. I did order my "Fudingzhu" from Nurcar Nursery. I'm keeping it in a large pot in case I end up moving because it WILL go with me.

I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to have to do any more yard work than necessary or more than what I want to do. So, I'm looking for varieties that meet my size requirements.

I'll be planting some Wheelers Dwarf Pittosporum in front of my porch. I won't have to prune it, the size meets my requirements, and it can handle shade, too. So, be careful about what you plant between you and your neighbor. While they are apparently easy going, you sure don't want to offend them later when something hangs over so far that they get exasperated by your plants.

I've planted some loropetalum here, too. But they aren't old enough for me to tell you how well they are doing. Check out other fragrant varieties of shrubs, too, like the fragrant version of Eleagnus. Hmm, but then again, if they are too fragrant for you neighbor, it might have some negative reactions, too. Just don't rush. Drive around your neighborhood to see what plants are doing well in similar locations like yours.

If you'll check into Earthkind roses, you'll find the most carefree that are around. Yes, the Antique Rose Emporium is a great place to visit. They are a little more pricey, but you'll get a better plant than a miscellaneous variety that you find at Lowe's.

Good luck with all your plantings.
Xtal

Xtal,

I've got Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum in my landscape and they get a lot larger than I was told they would. About 3 feet across and close to 2 feet high. When I put them in I was looking for small mounded shrubs. I have to prune them severely at least 2x a year to keep them small enough (I have them in front of other, taller shrubs). They need a fair amount of water too; I lost a couple of them in 2006 when it was so hot and dry. They do like being in the shade however and are a nice lush green. Mine get early AM sun and some late PM sun with shade the rest of the day.

xtal,

About the olives, I didnt even know they were available until I went to Home Depot, and walked by and was completely stopped. I thought it was honeysuckle because of the smell at first, then I read the label and it was the sweet olive. There are just so many plants to choose from and learn about, then there are the opinions.... you know what I mean? The differeing opinions is what confuses me, but I know everyone has different experiences. For example, cannas. I like them, I think they are gorgeous. Now on websites, they say "Oh they must be in full sun!!", then some say "oh they will grow anywhere just throw them out in the yard" Same with lilies, I love the lilies too, but some say pretty much full sun, but at my grandparents house, there are lilies that grow and have grown for well OVER 100 years in shade, and I know good and well no one has ever messed with them IE fertilizer, feeding, mulching ect. (we have old pictures and the same plants are in the pics, they are just bigger now its actually pretty cool because they are the "true" heirloom) They even stay green most of the year and might get a little "wilty" in the winter.
I think that is what is taking me so long and going back and forth and around and on and on :) I'm not one to fuss, and I'm not one to fluff, and I'm not huge on my yard looking pristine, but I like it to look nice , and "natural" I personally dont like the pruned areas much.
I was going to see about buying one of those "sun calculators" from the internet and just set it outside and see what happens. I figure its better than spending $300 on shrubs and then they dont work for that area.
I appreciate all the information and now I have learned that NO plant needs full sun in Texas!! (thanks Marlin!!) I think that helped alot, and I think I realized that this is SOOOO not an exact science, and that I guess you gotta go with your gut .... maybe ?? LOL It reminds me of a receipe my grandmother used to tell me ..."Oh a little of this and a little of that" and literally it was LOL So, all your information has helped tremendously and soon I will go to the nursury armed and dangerous ..... and with a credit card LOL