help choosing shrubs??

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Dan0K Paradise, Canada Aug 13, 2009

Hi,
I need help or advice on choosing shrubs for under a bay window at the front of my house. I'm in 5a Canadian growing zone. Bed is in full sun and now has a row of boxwoods about 9-feet from window and house. Bed is about 12'-6" wide, end to end. I was thinking of two rows or one staggered row of mixed yellow and purple shrubs between the house and boxwoods. The window is 4-feet from ground level.
I was originally going with three ninebark (two dart's Gold and one Center glow) in the back row and some Quince (jet trail) between them and the boxwoods. I now fear that the NineBarks will get too big and be a constant pruning job. Is it possible to even prune Ninebarks? I like them because of their low maintenance and hardiness.
My wife don't like Spirea or Potentila. Are there any others I should consider. I want low maintenance and hardiness. We are wide open to winter winds. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

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Lynnie6868 (Zone 5b) Aug 17, 2009

Dan are you sure you're not landscaping MY house? lol Sounds like it...zone 5, winds, full sun, boxwoods....I used some gold evergreens ,lemonthread false cypress, rhiengold thuja, (I think that's what it's called) and some dwarf burgundy weigelia midnight wine or wine & roses, one is dwarf one isn't (can't remember which is which)
and a couple of fragrant abelia (I was pretty excited to find abelias hardy to my zone).
There are a LOT of false cypress out there of different sizes that will give you yellow.
There are also a lot of purple heuchera out there, they're not shrubs they're perennials but they have really pretty foliage.

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sharonf1 Lake in the Hills, IL(Zone 5a) Aug 18, 2009

I love viburnums. Low maintenance and most have berries for the birds and winter interest for everyone.

Korean Spice viburnum is one of my favorites. My neighbors love it too as the light spicy clove fragrance drifts easily with the breeze.4-6' in height and width.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1480/

Weigelas are another that always turn up in my landscape. Versatile leaf choices and a variety of sizes (saw a compact form that listed 24" as maximum height at the nursery last month). Another, fragrant sumac, is a nice pleasant low grower and helpful in controlling erosion. If no slope, it's still nice.

I've had all of these for the last 10 years (two different homes) and have enjoyed them.
~Sharon

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