Thank you for writing.  I need a picture of the space, including whether there is a house to the north, how far out from the house it extends, etc.  I also need to know if the side of the house faces directly to the north or is perhaps NNW or NW, etc because that makes a large difference for morning or afternoon light. 
Thanks

My house faces directly north

My house faces directly north

Sorry for all the duplicates 

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My house faces directly north

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On Jun 17, 2024, at 9:58 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:



Thank you for writing back. So you are looking for front yard perennials. 
You have several microzones in the front.
1 Under the flowering tree would be a shade garden. 
2. Diagonally forward from the evergreen would be sun.  
3. Right up against the house on the left would be shade but you would have to keep the perennial bushes outside the roof drip line otherwise they would not get water. 
4. The small garden with a tree in front of the front door is hard to see. The big question is, Is there garden cloth under the stones or mulch there and extending to garden zone 3. 
5. The shrub  next against the house, on the left facing the house.  

In sum, send me a note about your intention or wishes for each of the 5 zones.  If you want to do something with Zones 3,4,5, I need a close up of the zone and a description of the soil and covering beneath it. Thank you. 

There is garden cloth under the stone. I am looking for shrubs that would be alternatives to the 9 bark that I have there now. This would be outside  the garden area, but from there to the end of the house.

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Thank you.
I presume the ninebark(s) is in zone 4 rather than zone 5. 
Shade and garden cloth is a fatal environment that also impoverishes soil. I suggest removing it and using 4 inches of pine bark or hardwood mulch chips. Do not use cypress. 

Assuming, you want a redo of zone 4, can you get me a picture standing on the driveway at about where that white rock is and aiming straight west so that I can see the dimensions and plantings in Zone 4 better. It would be helpful to have some indicator of scale for that zone, such as a lawn mower in the picture.

I don’t want to get complicated. I just want some alternatives to replace the 4 9 barks I have in the front of my house. The soil is a Sandy loam. 

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Thank you for writing back.  The key rule on gardening is right plant and right place. 
So I have been asking questions to understand your plan. Now, I see that you want to replace the shrubs to the right of the front door (picture orientation) and possibly on the side of the garage. 
First, most shrubs have a seasonal bloom.  Azaleas and rhododendrons would work there but only bloom in the spring.
Weigela would work but it is late spring-early summer. 
Roses could be set out from the house and have a long bloom but are not low maintenance. 
Bush Honeysuckles could be trellised, are medium maintenance and long bloom, June-July.
Dogwoods short bloom time. 
Lilacs need more sun than that location.

What ever you plant has to have a foot behind it next to your house when it is at its mature size.  If a plant is 4 feet wide, it has to be planted 3 feet from the house to allow air and full plant development.

Now, there are multiple problems with the landscape cloth.  It is an additional stress to the lower light.  Even if permeable, it gets less permeable and tiny particle of sand clog the pores. The soil can not become filled with more organic material over time.  It eventually tears and weeds come through.

I know that you want it simple, long blooming, low maintenance, and I assume that you don't want to take up your landscape cloth.  I don't know how to reach your goal with those parameters. Sorry

 

Thank you 

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