I have acid moist well-drained sandy loam soil and am on the edge between zones 4 & 5. Here are some plants to look at that work well for me. If there are smaller forms of Viburnum plicatum, that might work as they grow and bloom well with dappled or part shade IME. They have late spring white flowers, tidy summer foliage and red toned autumn color. Sorry about the lopsided shape of mine - a tree dropped on it. From 2013 Some of the smaller forms of reddish-foliaged ninebark might work there - I am not sure how large the smaller forms get. See fall photo with Hydrangea. There are other forms of Hydrangea paniculata than Pee Gee that have been selected for plant and blossom size, bloom color such as more lime in Limelight or early blushing in Quick Fire, or earlier or later bloom time, and you might want to check out some of these. I leave the dry blossoms on my H. paniculata for winter interest and prune them off about now. I also grow clematis (small flowered, hard prune type 3) into my H. paniculata to increase the bloom time, and since I can prune in late fall to 2 or 3 bud pairs per stem, it doesn't look messy in the winter. Here is Quick Fire with Clematis 'Little Bas' in midsummer. From clematis on hydrangea July 9, 2013 and the same plant in late September with a large ninebark, Coppertina, to the left. From 2013 Fothergilla is a shrub with white bottlebrush-shaped spring flowers, neat summer foliage (some forms bluish), and stunning red/orange/gold fall foliage. From 2013 Sorry theses Fothergilla flowers were wet, but it give an idea of their spring look. They have a lovely light honey scent.

One thing I'd encourage you to take a look at is how much overhang you have. I have several roses as foundation plantings and climbing up our house. I love them but they're not always easy and they don't always look good -- the problem is spider mites. Once the weather warms up, those roses that are more protected from rain tend to break out with mites. It's especially bad this year. We have rather deep eaves and -- although it makes me feel like a traitor for saying this -- I am usually happier with my gardenia border and my foundation hydrangeas (both I grow on the northeast side of our home) than I am with my roses growing right next to our house. Not in glorious spring, no, but for the long long rest of the summer... Camellias may also be something to consider. Camellia Forest has an open house in the fall, I think. But with some extra tlc and some pruning you might also consider David Austin's Queen of Sweden or The Generous Gardener. Queen of S. is sturdy and upright and in constant bloom. The Generous Gardener is spectacular and has very good glossy green foliage. Both have been extremely healthy in my garden. Have you ever seen the DA's at Witherspoon? I hate to say it but whenever I've been there they've look totally unloved and ready to expire. I'd wait and order bare roots directly from David Austin this winter.

The back of my house faces north, and I have a sloping bed next to the deck I am hoping to replant. The area is approx. a 10' x 12' triangle. I was originally thinking of a lilac for the corner where the deck meets the house wall, but it only gets sun for about 2-3 hours per day-from just before 2 p.m. til around 4:30 or so. Currently, I have a peegee hydrangea there, but it's been there for 3 years now and hasn't done anything to inpress-no height, no flowers, nada. So I want to move it somewhere else, and replace it, but with what? Now I am thinking a small tree. I am considering dogwood, redbud, Japanese maple, weeping cherry, ??? Maybe an evergreen. I want something that won't get too tall-no more than 12'-15', with a similar spread. Thanks!!

Without knowing some of the information whitecap brought up, my first thought would be to go native and go with the toughest plants on the natives list. I'm in DFW but just finished planting evergreen foundation shrubs last fall to serve as the "bones" of my flowerbed. One suggestion (although not a Texas native) would be Wheeler's Dwarf Pittosporum. They only grow about 2-3 feet high and a bit wider. They're evergreen with a low, rounded, mounding and spreading growth habit and lovely shrubs. They survived the freezes we had in DFW and can take the heat as well. I only covered them when we were expecting ice but the other freezes, I didn't cover them. They've made it through with only slight damage to the tender new growth. I also find dwarf nandina really pretty as well as glossy abelia and Edward Goucher abelia. All evergreen, all fairly small at mature size (except the glossy abelia, which gets about 4 to 6 feet). I have these in my flowerbed and consider them pretty tough since they're planted in alkaline clay soil and have survived this weird winter we just had.