You cant go wrong with pickering, what part of mass do you live in? Zone 6 Mass isnt anything like zone 6 kansas... way too long winter and freeze thaw cycles. I lived in western mass, near springfield , it was more zone 5a there... You can get away with more marginal climbers with less dieback nearer to mass coast. But you should probably stick with canadian climbers are the few rare ogr you can grow as true climbers. Great Maidens blush is a beutiful alba btw, it will grow to about 6-7 or more feet in the end, I wouldnt think it would be a great obelisk rose, well I guess with enough pruning you could do anything you really want =). One thing I would recommend, is not to get your heart set on the marginal as much... I tried a few for a few years, spent lots of money on roses that I shouldnt have. If I just stuck with alot of the hardies it wouldnt have broken the bank as much. But we all have our own pain tolerence, I know my zone 5 is as far removed as a zone 5 say in ohio as could be.. you wouldnt think so but its just our very long winters and short growing seasons. The Austins probable wont do that well in partial shade, but you can try, maybe one of the older ones like wife of bath... not as far removed from the ogr genes in them. I bet a rose like westerland would do very well for you in your zone, it wouldnt work for me, way too much dieback... Great Maidens Blush... Silverkelt

Welcome, Susan! If you love Hippeastrum bulbs, you've come to the right place! I've been a forum member for just over a year, and I love it here! The people are wonderful, generous, helpful, and just plain great folks! You'll like it here! If you're willing to do a bit of reading, you'll also learn a lot here! The search feature will yield tons of great information on whatever part of culture you're interested in, and if you can't find something, we'll be happy to help! It sounds like you already have a nice collection of bulbs started... and if you hang around with us, you'll most likely end up with way more bulbs than you actually need! Welcome! Feel free to join right in... several conversations of interest and fun are going on right now! :-)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I googled everything ya'll mentioned and I think I'm leaning towards a dwarf variety viburnum, oakleaf hydrangeas, and someone else mentioned Sweetspire. Those shrubs have more the look of what I had in mind as a backdrop. I also have tons of oakleaf hydrangea babies on the property so I may transplant a few and see how they do. That dwarf hemlock esh mentioned looked interesting too, I may have to find a spot for it in a different shady bed. Thanks again! Danielle

Colorful shade groundcovers: Take a look at groundcover phlox. It comes in numerous colors and does well in semi-shade. Also persicaria "Painter's Palette." Leaves are variegated, with cream and dark red over the green. For sprng color with some height, if it were my garden, I'd want azaleas and rhododendrons. I don't know which kinds do well in zone 8-9, however. A little internet sleuthing should get you that information. Your property looks gorgeous! Good luck.