Sounds like a western exposure that would be planted to sun-loving plants, shade-loving kinds being apt to fry in the hot afternoon sun.

You did say it was the north end of the house, so all you are getting is the sun peeping around at the end of the day. Really you might get best results with full shade shrubs in that area, like fatsia, aucuba, skimmia, sarcococca...

I second bboy's suggestions and would add the following: for summer color and interest: hardy fuschia and hostas with different colored leaves (ok, not at all shrubs...) and for year round enjoyment: evergreen huckleberry, hellabores (again, not a shrub!). I have some Maidenhair and Sword ferns and some Hakonechloa grass in a similar environment and they do just fine.

These are designated as suitable for full shade in the 'Plants for Shade' table starting on page 133 of the current Sunset Western Garden Book:

Aucuba japonica
Buxus
Euonymus fortunei
Fatsia japonica
Nandina domestica
Sarcococca
Ternstroemia gymnanthera

Not all of these are low or have conspicuous flowers but without seeing the area cannot tell if you are limited at this point to just the one (eventually) tall Pieris. The Euonymus and Buxus are available in white-variegated forms that could go quite well with the pink flowers of the Pieris. Since the Euonymus can sometimes have nasty weevil damage near structures (or beneath evergreen trees) it might be safer to try the Buxus.

The Pieris prefers a partial shade area, it is possible you may eventually find it is more open in habit and less floriferous in this spot than you would prefer. Nothing dramatic is going to happen right away as this shrub grows mere inches per year.

I have Rhododendron 'Blue Diamond' on the north side of my house and it has always bloomed nicely. It does eventually reach 6' though slowly. There are several other dwarf Rhodies in that bed all do well. Their names escape me at the moment.

'Blue Diamond' is a classic. Not a full shade shrub per se, but it depends on how full of full shade one is talking about and how full of a shrub is desired. The north shadow of a building out in the open with reflected light all around is not as dark of a spot as one that is in shade most of the time for other reasons, like there being taller trees and shrubs all through the site.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. Yes, the front of my home definitely faces north. In the late afternoon the sun does peek around the west corner. I have a new manufactured home and I want to have a classic design. Not crowded with a bunch of plants. I simply want to frame my home/yard. I have never designed a garden. I need someone to tell me what plants should be placed where. There use to be a magnolia tree in the middle of the lawn but when the movers brought my home here in December, they chopped it down to get the house on the pad. There is already a lilac tree planted on the NW side of the lawn and it has several buds already. I planted the pieris beside it. So, please if you have ideas on how to design the front of my home, I would greatly appreciate all your suggestions. bboy... Are you saying that the pieris will burn here? I hope not, I really don't want to have to dig it up. I'm going to to a Google search for 'Blue Diamond' hydrangea. Thanks again for helping me. I'm going to try and post a pic of my home so it will give you an idea.

{{gwi:1070152}}

Many people see informal planting as "crowded", and what you are probably thinking of as "classic" is a formal layout, with geometric patterns using symmetrical balance. The front of your mobile is symmetric so technically it lends itself to a formal planting in front. (To me the setting screams for generous planting and a sense of enclosure, the creation of a private, garden-like outdoor space...) If you are going to devote most of the area in front of the window to a garden think about planning a layout that repeats the shape of the front windows on the ground in front of the mobile. Echoing the pattern of the front of the dwelling on the ground in front of it, in plants and other garden materials is a way you can have a formal design that relates to the house. A common problem with symmetric layouts is them not relating to anything else in the scene, and therefore looking out-of-place if not downright silly. The usual issue is the buildings involved not having symmetric facades, but such your mobile actually does have everything all even on the end you should be able to make it work.

Hi bboy,
Thank you for such a quick response. I really appreciate your help. Yes, you are correct..when I said 'classic' I meant formal. I never thought about designing it in a symmetrical pattern. You said, "plann a layout that repeats the shape of the front windows on the ground in front of the mobile." ~ I'm not really sure what you mean, can you please give me an example? Again, I appreciate your help. I wish I had a pic of what a symmetrical design would look like.

Something similar to the line pattern made by the windows duplicated on the ground, in front of the trailer. It would be bigger, of course, and not exactly the same but similar enough to repeat the same impressions of shapes. Like a motif in architecture, embroidery, silverware or anything else where related images recur throughout, producing a unity.

In this case (this also has the appeal of being practical and something one might do anyway) the space could be divided into rectangles dedicated to different uses and delineated by one material (wood, stone, concrete, dwarf hedges...) or more than one, depending on what, exactly ends up being done. The most simple plan would be noting the shapes and proportions of the windows (and clapboards) and mentally enlarging these, laying them out on the ground in the same arrangement. There could be a hedge on each side, parallel to the drive and at a right angle to the mobile, with a flower, vegetable or groundcover bed inside of each one of those, and then a sitting area in the middle and sharing it with a pool or fountain.

The clapboards would correspond to the border hedges, the small bottom central window the pool or fountain. You don't have to repeat the layout of the trailer windows with such exactness, of course, to get a pleasing result - and it may be necessary to not do that in order to get something you like. But it should show the kind of scheme I was talking about. Somebody with a drawing board has already taken the end of your mobile and organized it into a symmetrical pattern, might as well pick up on it and make use of it in planning the garden going right in front of it.

I think you'll find that situation is not going to be as shady as you imagine. The mobile is not very tall and there is minimal overhang - in summer, this area should receive a good deal of light, although mostly indirect. Also, the light colored siding will provide a lot of reflected light so you should be able to get away with planting anything that tolerates a part shade condition. (This mirrors the situation of my own home and my front, north facing garden is actually one of the sunniest areas in the yard). It is harder to judge the degree of this in winter when the sun is so low on the horizon, but the large swath of shade now showing in photo will not be present.

Bboy has provided some good suggestions on developing a planting plan that will correspond to and compliment your home.......filling it in will not be quite the chore you think, as there are scores of smaller shrubby plants that will thrive under these condiitons. I'd even consider something with a bit larger presence to anchor the front plantinbg area, like a small tree. A selection of Japanese maple or perhaps even another, smaller magnolia would work.

btw, 'Blue Diamond' is a rhododendron cultivar, not a hydrangea :-)) There is a huge number of compact rhodies that could work here if these shrubs appeal. A smaller mophead or lacecap hydrangea would also be appropriate. Local nurseries should begin to have a nice selection of various site appropriate shrubs on hand for you to select from once you have a planting plan formulated.

bboy ~ Thank you very very much. I couldn't quite grasp what you were talking about at first but now I totally 'get it' - I imagined my window with the shutters laying on the grass and it all made sense. Yes, I can visualize a small hedge on the three sides of my lawn to close it all in. I really appreciate your help. Now, I think a small hedge would be 'perfect' but what would be some hedges (small ones) that would work? I can get my dh to build a rectangular rock planter extending from each end of the shutter. And maybe some kind of tall garden figure on each side.

gardengal ~ My dh said the same thing about the sun. Maybe I'll have to move my 'pieris' afterall, so it doesn't burn? It's blossoming right now and is really very pretty. Yes, I thought of a Japanese Maple and Magnolia but I'm not sure where you are thinking for me to place them?

Ok, 'Blue Diamond' is a rhodie. I thought it was a hydrangea. When I did a google search, a blue mop head showed up. I think I'm confused as to what a rhodie and a hydrangea is. Oh, I do have soooo much to learn. LOL

Can you please give me some names of smaller magnolias so I can go and look them up on Google.

This is really a lot of fun! It's difficult when you don't know what to do and don't have any gardener friends. This forum is 'awesome' - Thank you.

The smallest magnolias grow 10' and more so maybe you want to use one of these as a specimen tree in the setting, maybe not. Popular one are the star magnolia, the purple lily magnolia and the Kosar and De Vos (nickname Little Girl Hybrids, sometimes nurseries have one or two kinds as star magnolia hybrids, without individual cultivar names) hybrids between them. Should be located where can be viewed with dark background to make it show up and stand out better, maybe with the point of view being a chair inside the mobile, from where it is likely to be gazed out at.

Good candidate for fine, narrow hedging there might be 'Mariesii' cultivar of Japanese holly. Or you could plant rows of Delavay osmanthus and shear it to remain small, narrow and square, as has been done at the Center for Urban Horticulture, Seattle. Blackish green leaves and profuse, small early tubular white flowers, powerfully scented of plumeria.

bboy, thank you very much for all your help. You've really gotten me off to a very good start, and now I have lot's of ideas to consider. I've written down all the names of shrubs you've recommended and I'll be going to a few garden centres to learn more about them. I'll probably have more questions as I go along, but for now you've gotten me off to a fantastic start.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions and ideas. Thanks again.

One of the mistakes I have made is not considering the colour of the building. In your home, the siding is a light colour so some of the darker coloured plants will look fantastic against it. I totally agree that the people here are wonderful to give their expert knowledge to others. Gardening is fun and mistakes aren't forever.

Hi dotty,
Since I haven't gardened all that much, I'm not familiar with a whole lot of plants. Can you recommend some darker plants? Yes, bboy has been fantastic giving all kinds of very helpful suggestions.

There are various selections of heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica cultivars) that offer lacy evergreen foliage that has a wide range of coloring, from deep plum to sienna and copper tones, that would look great in contrast to the light siding. Wiegelas also come in burgundy colored foliage but lose their leaves in winter. Ninebarks (Physocarpus) also has burgundy and copper foliage selections and there are many smaller shrubs (hebes, abelias, euonymus, etc) that offer either colored or variegated foliage. Also scores of dwarf conifers in all manner of shapes, sizes and foliage colors. Various PJM clones of rhodies ('Northern Starburst', 'Black Satin') will color up in winter to a deep coppery color as well as offer early spring flowers in orchid and magenta. Even Viburnum tinus 'Spirit' would be a good choice against the siding, as it offers very dark green foliage on deep maroon stems and a long bloom season and compact habit. Anything that provides a strong contrast will provide visual appeal.

You are not very limited in your choices :-)) A visit to a well-stocked local garden center seems in order!!

Wow, thanks gardengal. I'm printing this out and I'm off to the garden centre to see what all these plants look like. Thanks so much for all your suggestions.