Viburnum prunifolium (our native Black Haw) is a lovely, small open tree that might work for you. Don't plant it right up against the porch, of course.

A picture of the situation would really help people come up with other suitable suggestions. Can you post one?

This is the fixer upper I'm working on, I currently have 2 variegated weigelas (pink) in containers but before I put them on the ground I wanna see if I can come up with other ideas

Hi Roxana! Lovely porch! Are the weigelas the smaller dwarf ones? If not, they become quite large and may be too much for that space. They can get 4'+ in height, and are easily 6' wide - a mounded weeping sort of look. We had one by the front door that we moved to a more open spot.

The Weigelas are not dwarfs :( The tag marks them as a 6x6 plant when mature. The leaves are so pretty as they are, one of the reason I went with those, I was also thinking about Korean Lilacs but I think those are kinda small for this space, since the porch is already raised about 2 feet.

The tag marks them as a 6x6 plant when mature.

==>>> no plant stops growing at some magical size ...

i would google plant names.. and click images.. to see the potential .. latin names are better.. after you get past the common stuff .. of which.. this is ...

ken

https://www.google.com/search?q=variegated+weigela&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4tbiJwZvPAhVD44MKHUzxAlYQ_AUICSgC

I'm slightly puzzled. Your original post said you needed shade. To me that means a small tree, not a shrubs. The Weigelas might reach 6 or even 8 feet in a few years but they do stop at a genetically determined height. I don't think they would provide much shade for you.

Do you want to block off the view from that end of the porch? Maybe a climbing rose or something on a trellis, one on each side of the gap, leaving some space in the middle so you could step down there if you wanted to. Maybe post some good pics in the landscaping forum, I've gotten some good feedback over there as well, very helpful.

I would define the planting bed first, making it as large as possible to increase your choices as to what to plant. You sure don't want to cut small holes in the lawn and then deal with the aftermath.

Mike

Yes, I need shade for that side of the porch from the afternoon - evening sun, I don't have the space for a tree otherwise I would be planting one, my idea is to get something tall enough to give me shade but also that looks decent most of the year, and honestly, if that whole side gets blocked it would not make me sad ;) the weigelas are for another area in my garden but I put them there just so I can visualize them, but the more I look into them the more I am convinced they may not be the best for this area.

Deciduous Holly

Magnolia Soulagnea

Viburnum Nudum 'Bulk'

Amelanchier Arborea

If you are interested in vines, I like firethorn. You will certainly want to wait until the renovations are done before you put it in. literally a pain to work around.

Firethorn, presuming that you mean Pyracantha, is a woody shrub, not a vine. It can be espaliered but it does not climb.

Once again, I suggest a Viburnum prunifolium or perhaps a redbud to provide the shade you want. You'll plant perhaps 8-10 feet from the end of the porch, connecting the bed towards the porch with lower plants, maybe just a handsome groundcover.

It's definitely a lot of options to choose from, I think I am giving it a thought to some sort of vine/climber, I like roses so I am researching those as well. I can do whatever I want (size-wise) for that area, my idea is to "eventually" just have a nice pathway to go from the front of the house to the back yard... but that will take time.. I appreciate all of the suggestions and your time as well.

I like redbuds, my favorite type of tree. Maybe one of the smaller weeping cultivars, like 'ruby falls'. Another idea is one of the dwarf cornus kousa ('wolf eyes').

You are in zone 5.. Won't you want to have a warm sunny spot to sit in on all of your days when it's not blistering hot? Have you lived in the house a full year?

I have lived in the house for about a year, this spot does get very hot because of the amount of sun it gets, it faces south with no shade of trees whatsoever so early morning until literally sunset (sunset is nice thou) I really need a bit of shade from something.

If you ever want the sun to light and warm up the porch and house in the winter, choose deciduous plants. If the sun is so brutal, you might consider hanging a roll-up bamboo shade, which will allow filtered light, at that end of the porch . You could also consider large hanging plants. I'm not discouraging any of the other ideas here, just suggesting options for preserving southern light when you do want it.

Definitely considering all my options.

Check out monrovia's variegated english holly. It may be a bit expensive ($45 at lowes). But it seems to be a nice plant.

==>>>http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1490/variegated-english-holly/

You say the area gets hot, so maybe it could survive your winters?

English holly in zone 5 is winter damaged if it survives. Not recommended.

Sorry, thought the home may give it winter protection.

I don't think it is a good idea to use any thorny plant, such as Pyracantha or Ilex aquifolium, that close to the house and porch. Home and garden maintenance and retrieving stuff which falls off the porch would be a painful experience. Also Ilex aquifolium, apart from the living foliage being spiny, always has fallen leaves below it and it is very painful to do any work with the soil at the base of the plant. I have driven prickles into my finger tips countless times just doing a little weeding around mine. The fallen leaves rot very slowly and the thorny leaf margins persist in the soil for many months. It is really only suitable for the less frequented areas of a garden. Monrovia's photo shows it as a dinky shrub in a container on a porch. In reality this plant wants to be a small tree and is well armed. Not a porch friendly subject, even when heavily topiarised.

If they are next to a lawn then there is no barefoot walking on the lawn. I remember stepping on those thorny leaves as a kid. Not pleasant!

That said, here's my variegated English holly. It's too big to move, so I moved the lawn instead. It's no longer there.

I really like the variegated english holly, I just don't have the money to buy one. That landscape had to take lots of work to become that beautiful, good job! That being said, it dwarfs mine.

Thank you Logan.

I started that holly from a cutting. That's how I started a lot of my plants over the years mainly because I didn't have the money. It's fun too!

Mike