Maybe heuchera would be nice there

Without knowing where you are--zone and state--and how much sun/shade the area gets, suggestions are worthless. Also, judging from the probable size of the bricks, the planting area looks more like 3 feet by 18 inches at best.

OP did mention zone 3, however, did not sound positive. As Lacy mentioned, knowing how many hours of direct sun the bed gets is important info. Also, are you in an area that receives a lot of rain or very arid? What type of soil are you working with?

If you are zone 3, I would suspect your perennial options will be extremely limited.

If you are zone 3, I would suspect your perennial options will be extremely limited.

No way....well at least not because of the climate. We have lots of members gardening very successfully in lower number zones showing a wide variety of perennials. But having said that I would put in colorful annuals in that location).

(And given that the small bed is very close to the foundation it would most likely be more moderate than whatever zone miksterz is in).

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses. I did state some of the details Lacy claims I left out. Here is a bit more that will hopefully help: I am in Southern Ontario (Canada) where temperatures go as low as -40C in the winter. We do gets tons of rain as well. Based on a colour coded map of Canada that uses the same US system to identify zones, it appears this is either zone 3 or 4. The garden bed in question gets 4ish hours of sun per day. In my back yard which is full sun we have day lilies, bleeding hearts, and some stonecrops that are all doing well. The front is shadier though.

My suggestion is colorful hosta. If that appeals to you I suggest you post on the hosta forum for specific plant suggestions.

Sherry

I think marquest has thought of all seasons for you.

Can leave the 2 daylilies on the ends and plant one of the following in the middle to fill the void. (these are popular for zone 3) Spirea, False Spirea, (Sorbaria sorbifolia) astilbe, Weigela, hydrangea. ligularia.

A fast easy pretty fix is probably a golden/yellow Spirea, or a False Spirea. Widely available at nurseries.

What are the dimensions of the actual planting space? It looks very small. Plus it's right up against the house, which may cause your plantings to be toasted in the sun - the bricks of your house and landscaping wall will hold in the heat. Is there any way to expand the bed out AWAY from the house?

Also, I can't tell why the downspout is IN the bed. If you get a lot of rain, the plants will be flooded.

Forget Alberta Spruce in this spot, I have one that's 7ft tall, it did take 20 years to get that large, your window would be covered.

Sherry

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Very helpful. The dimensions I listed are of the actual planting space. It looks smaller in the picture than it really is. The downspout can be redirected. Everything is as it was when we bought the house last year.

3' really is not that deep. Most perennials are that wide. You are basically looking at 3 to 4 plants max. That is why I was suggesting bulbs. and going with Hostas you can get pretty blues, whites, yellow color going without any work at all. The hostas that have fragrant flowers could be your fragrant and attractive flowers in the fall. Not enough flowers for you...... buy a pack of zinnias and direct sow them in the spring.

You cannot beat hostas for no fuss plants. The same thing with bulbs plant a little fertilizer and pretty blooms. A pretty statue, bird bath something that can be a compliment in the to the area in the winter. I hate to see bare ground in the winter.

Dwarf conifer example

Mini and dwarf hostas, dwarf conifers, dwarf hairgrasses are what come to mind. dwarf-conifers-for-tiny-rock-garden

And here are some examples of Heuchera that can take Zone 1-3. I'd look for the smaller varieties.

heuchera-in-zones-1-and-2