spazzycat, yum, yum! that wandering jew is gorgeous! I'll try to see if I can add it next year. Great choice. thenk you. david 5311, Knautia 'Mars Midget' sounds like a wonderful choice. I've never grown it. so it will be a fun new plant to add to my garden bed next year. As for crocosmia. I tried lucifer last year. the deer ate *all* of the blooms and the voles ate all of the bulbs. I don't have one plant left :-( My deer seem to delight in taking all of the fun out of gardening for me. they generally will just eat all of the flowers. so I have lots of plants but seldom a bloom. there are only a few plants that they won't touch -- euphorbia and datura come to mind (poisonus plants). but in the poisonus category (or at least my understanding that they are) are irises, and the deer eat them up like candy every year. Go figure. After having said that, you all have given me some wonderful suggestions for plants that I haven't tried yet. and it's always fun to put out a new plant in the garden to see if the deer will eat them. Thank you ever so much for your input.

Journalbee, I was going to ask about height and I see you answered that question above. Ornamental grasses might be nice, even some taller ones. Mine get a little floppy in my soil but where you have a fence you could always tie them up. I tie mine to my picket fence. I have a 6' border and a bunch of really tall (up to 12') plants in it. It's pretty dramatic in the fall. Here are some suggesions for smaller shrubs that might work and are not just green. Not sure how low maintenance you want it to be but I find shrubs and grasses are so easy and can add some great structure. Plunk in a handful of perennials (especially daylilies) around them and it would be pretty easy maintenance. 'Crimson pygmy' or 'Helmond Pillar' barberry (if it's not banned in your area) 'Fairy' rose or carpet roses bloom until well into Nov. I haven't had much luck with Knockout roses here but I've seen everyone elses amazing photos and they are gorgeous. Deutzia gracilis-blooms white in May (nice mixed with salvia 'May Night') Dwarf Alberta Spruce-good conical structure There is a dwarf rose of sharon that only gets to about 3'. I think it's 'Lil Kim'. Mine are still teeny so I'm not sure how wide they would get but I can't imagine much more than 4-5'. I have a bunch of 'Leonard Messel' magnolias planted along my split-rail fence. Magnolias get tall, but they are quite narrow and could be limbed up which would work in the space requirement. Not sure about their shallow roots and the driveway though..... I also planted climbing hydrangea on my split-rail fence. There may be some great Ilex (holly) that would do well in your zone. I always wish to be a little further south to enjoy more hollies. The deer have stayed away from all the shrubs I've listed above and we sometimes have a dozen at the buffet. Hope that helps a bit!

Thanks for the suggestions, Trini and Deanna. I love plumbago, but the small plant I put in the ground in November died back to the ground during the freezes in December/January. Not sure if a well established one would fare any better when it's below freezing. Ditto for Clerodendron ugandense. I don't have one but Floridata says it dies back to the ground after freezing temps also, so there would be no screen for much of the winter. I have a few ligustrums around the yard and that may work, but not my first choice. What about pittosporum? Any other suggestions? Thanks again. Marcia

For the wet area, how about Juncus or Acorus. If you want the color of Purple Fountain Grass, but hardier, try Panicum Shenendoah. Nothing wrong with using PFG as an annual, just don't expect more. Some other grasses you might like that are zone 5 suitable are Calamagrostis Karl Foerster, Miscanthus Morning Light, and Panicum Dallas Blues. Lots more, just some of my favorites.