Questions about plant selection (which comes after all the design questions are addressed) do get a pretty mixed level of response here. The odd one will spark the interest of someone with the right zone experience, but some just don't. I always feel sorry to see it when they don't, but none of us (pro or hobbyist) is here to spend the day at the computer for free answering questions that don't interest us. And speaking strictly for myself, I find foundation planting probably the least interesting part of landscape design, perhaps because I find a lot of common foundation shrubs to be pretty anonymous green blobs. While I totally see their utility as foundation plantings, when it comes to picking what type of green blob to use, I pretty much check out. If I were landscaping a house like this, I'd personally go for much more exciting specimen shrubs, and most of my attention would be away from the foundation. Questions that involve second guessing a designer who is on site are also always awkward. Forum people - designers and hobbyists - can only work with the information the OP gives, while the onsite designer has a better sense of what is available, what the climate's like, what the site is like, what kind of gardener you are, and so on. I think a comment that might help the OP out here is that first, plant selection is a matter of personal taste above all, and if you want weigela and spirea, then you should go ahead with that. If you are paying a designer, however, you might as well use the advice they give when it is solid, which the proposal to put an evergreen in there certainly is. I don't see why you can't do all three shrubs. Second, plants can be moved and replaced, which is good because sometimes the only way you know if something will work is to put the things in the ground and give them a few years. But I think the ultimate take-away message for perhaps this OP and other potential posters - and I mean this in the most positive sense! - is that sometimes, when a decision is really difficult, the truth is that it just doesn't matter that much. Usually when it really matters, your preferences will exert themselves. When you can't decide, it often just doesn't matter that much. And in this case, where Weigela and Spirea are both fairly shapeless shrubs whose main claim to fame is a brief period of bloom and that will be bare sticks, green blobs, or lumps under the snow the rest of the time, it just doesn't matter that much. So don't torment yourself, give yourself permission to make mistakes since they're so easy to fix, do what feels right to you now, and move on to the rest of your property and other things in life. Questions about the yard as a whole might net more commentary than a question about foundation planting. Oh, and the other thing is, if you aren't receiving copies of responses by email, some people just won't bother responding. It happens far too often that we get "drive-by posters" who post their question, get some good thoughtful responses that take a lot of time to compose, and then never show up again. It's annoying enough even if responses are being emailed, but if they aren't, we never know whether our advice gets to the person who asked. Anyway, good luck! KarinL

I thought I saw a post like this earlier...but my vote is Magic Carpet. You get a unique color in the spring and fall. With the double gold, the gold is just more intense in the spring and fall. I have all three of the shrubs. I noticed the golden color spirea get leaf scorch more easily as well, ie limemound, goldmound, double play, dakota, etc. This is a fairly accurate image of the magic carpet spring growth: http://www.findmeplants.co.uk/photos/spiraea_magiccarpet.jpg The fall color is very similar, more russet orange.

Ostrich, 'Glow Girl' is a beauty, the foliage really draws the eye not just for the color, but also the texture is fantastic! It really should have been named 'GROW Girl', lol, cause yes, it can develop to a substantial and girthy thing having reached about 3 1/2 ft tall and wide, no tiny thing, also very hardy seldom having much dieback! Though, like most spirea, just prune to size or buzz it off to the ground when it becomes a bit too big, OR simply remove the older taller longer stems, Although, I'm generally not such a big fan of white blooms, it gets covered and the has a really nice classy look about it, it's a keeper in my books! Also, I love 'Double Play Big Bang' !!

I finally got around to taking some pics. From my observations this summer, it's when the leaves transition to the washed out yellow that they start burning from the outside edges inward until the leaf falls off. If anyone is unfamiliar with the "Candy Corn" cultivar, the new growth starts out red, then transitions briefly to an orange color, then a lime green, then yellow, then a washed out yellow...sometimes almost white. Then it burns off, and a new leaf sprouts back in it's place. Moisture is not an issue, and this time of year they get sun until about 5:00 then bright shade the rest of the day. I'm not really looking for an answer, cause I don't think there is one. I think this is a fairly recent introduction (within the past 6 or 7 years maybe?)...so my personal review is that it's somewhat disappointing. I have various spireas all around the property, most in much drier and hotter locations, and they perform flawlessly year after year with little maintenance. After 3 years of these growing, and burning every year in temps as low as 80, I don't think they are near as tough as other cultivars...I'm surprised at the tenderness of the foliage.