[Gena575]

I woke up yesterday with an overwhelming urge to get rid of 5 super ugly bushes at the front of my house. They were some sort of evergreen (yews maybe?) that had been neglected and gotten overgrown/misshapen/uglier than normal. I'm not much of a evergreen lover, so that didn't help their fate. I've been threatening them for the 2 years we've owned this house LOL!

So, now I have two empty beds that need some love. One bed is about 8x4 and the other 12x3. They face south, but are fairly well shaded by 2 Bradford pear trees (which WILL GO at some point too). I wouldn't call it deep shade as they get some sun in the morning/early afternoon from the east. I live in zone 6a for veggie gardening, and our winters are generally fairly mild. Getting down to zero happens, but not often and not for more than a night or two. We get some snow, but not much...6 inches is a *big* snowfall.

I'm not anywhere near experienced with gardening. I can grow the heck out of tomatoes and green beans, but beyond that I'm lost. I know I'd rather spend a bit more and get perennials now rather than fooling with annuals every year.

The 12x3 bed so you can see the blue of the house trim:

[simba123]

My sympathies on the presence of Bradford Pear aroma that you must be enduring at this time
My suggestion would be to go to your local Barnes & Noble or library and spend some time perusing the beautiful books on perennials. They have wonderful pics so you can see what size and color choices you have for this wonderful spot. They also will have "plans" that will show you what would look good together as a grouping.
My next suggestion is to visit your nearby Lowes and get to know the person in charge of the garden section. Ask when they get trucks in.I go almost every week on Friday because that is when they make room for the new shipments of plants. Look at the clearance section. They will put many good plants there (not just the dying ones) to make room for the next shipment. If you get to be a regular you may even get some better deals. I got lots of hosta for .25 ea once just for asking isf she wanted to get rid of anything. Good luck and remember to post some after pics.

[polydoly13]

I don't know much about "pretty" gardening as I'm not very good at it but I do alot of veggie gardening and I use gurneys dot com and henry fields dot com to buy alot and I know they also sell alot of annuals and perennials. What I like about them is that you can usually get a catalog or email with a coupon in it, basically 50% off up to $100 in savings. They also offer a lifetime guarantee on plants for as long as you garden. Each plant will state what zone it's for so once you know what you want you can pick accordingly. You might be able to find some things in the catalogs that aren't available local?

[snmhxf]

Hydrangeas would look pretty or the yellow bushes... I can't remember the name right now but you can cut branches off a bush and it will root!

[snmhxf]

Forsenthia I think

[andrea044027]

Forsythia :-)
The yellow flowers are really beautiful.

[motherofmolly]

iris's are great. they are a bulb and they multiple. they just need well drained soil. they come in pretty colors and variations. bloom in the spring.

daisies. white shasta are another great perennial. little water needed. they grown about 2 feet and have pretty white daisies all summer long. partial shade/sun is good.

purple coneflowers. they also come in white. they re-seed themselves. about 3 feet tall. partial sun/shade is good...more sun than shade is great. bloom all summer long.

these are three of the easiest to grow that i have found. i am in central illinois. at the end of the fall, cut them down to about 2 inches from the ground and wait til next year.

[5forme]

Hydrangeas are great and weather the snow well. lilacs are also nice but make sure you trim them or they will turn into a tree..

[Lovage2]

look online and see if there is a Master Gardener's group nearby. The local one here tends to set up a booth at the Farmer's Market on a regular basis. They will give you great advice on what will do well in your area, where the best places to get plants are and how to transplant, etc and they generally offer this advice for free.

[monkeydawn]

What kind of look do you like...do you like the structure of bushes, the fullness of an English flower garden, some mixture? Do you want flowers at all (most anyway) times or do you prefer a variety of greens?

[babymk]

i love love love four o'clocks! you can grow from seeds each year or dig up and overwinter the bulbs. the plants get between 2-3 ft tall and have an overwhelmingly gorgeous scent! they also attract hummingbirds and hummingbird moths! we had several last year. plmk if you want seeds! i have literally 1000+ seeds and you can harvest the seeds to keep a good stash.

[BlueMoon187]

I'll add my 2 cents for hydrangeas. If you add acidity to your soil (mulch with pine straw should do it), your hydrangeas should bloom the same color blue as your shutters.

Keep in mind that hydrangeas (and most other perennials) will lose their leaves in the winter, so what you will see is sticks (stems) for those months. I also recommend the Endless Summer hydrangeas, which bloom on old growth as well as new growth. They will bloom longer and will often rebloom. Lacecap hydrangeas are pretty, also.

Hostas will die down completely to the ground in the winter, but they get larger every year, are tolerant of the cold winter, and are a nice contrast to the hydrangeas.

Both of these will love your partial shade.

[babymk]

FYI.

I'll send anyone four o'clock seeds or purple hyacinth seeds if you send an sase. I have literally hundreds of seeds as both plants produce seeds that are easily harvested season after season.

[Lovage2]

Originally Posted by babymk

FYI.

I'll send anyone four o'clock seeds or purple hyacinth seeds if you send an sase. I have literally hundreds of seeds as both plants produce seeds that are easily harvested season after season.

Would you be interested in some herb seeds in exchange? I've got Parsley and Lovage that should have seeds ripe enough to harvest in a few weeks.
PM me your addy and I would be thrilled to do some seed swapping.