Beginner Gardening: Need help choosing border plant for front of Mobile Home, 0 by oklahomajamie

oklahomajamie wrote:
My house is light tan with white trim and barn red shutters. I've attached a sideways shot of the front of the house. It faces west and is shady in the morning, but hot and sunny all day. I am going to plant a shade tree on each side of the porch to help with the intense heat of the summer.

We are doing alot of landscaping work and thought some kind of shrub, or hedge type thing would look good around the skirting in front and the sides of the porch. I LOVE roses, but not the diseases that come along with them (black spot, etc). I like those hollys that you see at Christmas with the pretty red berries (I have young grandchildren, so nothing poisonous).

I loved the sage green look of the silverado sage, but you're probably right - wrong zone. I guess I'd be zone 7 I'm pretty sure. South of Norman, OK.

I'm looking at some of the plants you suggested. That Indian Hawthorn is gorgeous! On the hedge thing, nope, I don't like the formal square look of them. I don't want to have to constantly be pruning and trimming. I'm really leaning towards the Indian Hawthorn.

Thanks for the tips!!

Jamie