Most of the plants I mentioned aren't evergreen, and they weren't meant to be prescriptive in any event. You should check out what your local nurseries have available, see what you like, and research their eventual shapes in a shrub book or on the internet. I'd say deciduous shrubs would be nicest in this setting, but your taste may dictate otherwise. I will add my mite too to the question of whether your conditions "qualify" certain plants to grow in the situation you are working with. What you need to understand in order to evaluate plants for this area is why various plants need the amount of sun or shade that is recommended for them, and what will happen if they don't get it. To some extent trial and error is the only way to learn this, but you can also learn the horticulatural principles to improve your ability to guess which plants will succeed. For example, most shade plants are adapted to catching as much light as possible in a shady environment. This is why many of them have big leaves. And they tend to prioritize surface area over leaf thickness, as they aren't faced with dessicating sun. So when you put shade plants in too much sun, the leaves are prone to burning and scorching, and they tend to wilt. Sun plants, on the other hand, have adaptations that allow them to resist heat, and they get leggy and don't bloom if they get too little sun. Obviously there are endless variations of leaf size and other attributes. For example, as someone mentioned above, there are hostas that actually want and need a certain amount of sun. And there are plants that are adapted to grow in the shade of deciduous trees, so they bloom in early spring when they get sun, and go through their leafy phase during summer. Some plants can also adapt to local conditions. For example, if the shade is really heavy and dense, as in the shade of a house, shade plants will grow their leaves extra big. But such a plant will be extra-sensitive if you change its conditions in mid-season or maybe if it gets a mid-day blast of sun. The conditions recommended on plant labels are only a guideline, and there are no guarantees that your conditions of partial shade are the kind of partial shade that a certain plant wants. KarinL

The bay area has different growing conditions than the areas where we generally design. But what you want to look for is a full sun plant that can grow in part shade; you do not want to try to convince a shade grower to be happy in 4-5 hours of strong sun. A number of plants would be happy with that amount of sun, so you should still have a variety to choose from. You listed some other traits you wanted, but did not explain what you wanted the plants to accomplish landscape wise (backdrop, showy, privacy, for example). Is there an overall design plan, even though you may not be installing everything at this time? What height(s) do you need, how wide is the planting area and how large is the overall yard size? Trees or shrubs, or a mix? What is the planned irrigation method? What backyard activities need to be taken into account?

Our previous home sold 28 days prior to the home we were building was ready. We took 60 potted roses with us to temporary housing. I was so overwhelmed after we moved, RdV just slipped through the cracks. After finding this image, I must admit that purchasing another RdV is being seriously considered, but only if it can be grown as a shrub...

Oh Vissara, I agree with you sooooo much about KOKO LOCO. The colors of the blooms are just awesome!!! Doggone thing is so exciting; when I look at the blooms on mine it makes my socks roll up 'n' down--all on their own accord!!!!! he,he :-D I live in Spokane which has a semi-arid climate, so there hasn't even been a smidgen of blackspot on it--even though this spring it was rain, rain, rain again, and again, and again. Felt like a webfoot there for awhile--an Oregon duck again. ha,ha. ;-) That went on for what seemd like forever. Course it's supposed to reach 85 F today. :P Where do you live in Oregon?? I was born in Gold Beach. Such a lush and beautiful area. I miss the Pacific ocean there and in Southern California. But I'm not complaing. I LOVE Spokane!!! Thanks for photos and the fun!