Your house is situated just like mine. Rose of Sharon should do really well on either the east or west side. I also have cranesbill geraniums everywhere - they give color for long periods of time.

Do you have Rose of Sharon? I assume that if would do well in NE Ohio where I live since it does well in Massachussets.
Thanks for the tip on cranesbill geraniums - I have never heard of these previously - I'll see if I can find them in this area.

Are you doing beds, or just trees and bushes? If you are doing some beds, consider Astilbe in a wetter area. Helleborus will give you blooms in winter. If you have a large area, Columbines are great at self-seeding and give a few weeks of great color. There are always Hosta, too.

Here is a picture of my Columbines last week. If you hit "previous" you can see the same bed 21 days earlier. I got these Columbines by purchasing two plants two years ago. I did not cut off the seed heads before they seeded last year, now my Hosta bed is gone beneath the Columbines. I have to dig them up and give them away to give the Hostas some breathing room. Columbines come in a variety of colors.

For understory tress you may also want to consider a Serviceberry. It blooms white in the spring and gives red fruit to the birds in the fall. I was also told that the Coralbark Maple is a beautiful small tree in the winter. It is hard to find around here, but does grow well in shade.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Columbines last week.

When do Coumbines bloom?
What type of Serviceberry - I see there are several types.
I am putting topsoil around house (front and back) and will have several mounds within the yard.
Anyone have experience with Black Beauty - ooks good in pictures but never heard of it?

I live just north of Detroit, and my Columbines are just finishing about three weeks of bloom.

I believe the tree I saw recommended was a Shadblow Serviceberry.

I thought most dogwoods like alot of sun?

It may be too shady for the flowering trees and shrubs, exccept the rhodos.

Posted by: HardrockKid z6 (PA) (My Page) on Thu, Jun 3, 04 at 10:32
I thought most dogwoods like alot of sun?
===================================================
Most of my dogwoods have been in part shade and have done wonderful. I have several kousa dogwoods

Serviceberries are understorey trees - in a mature oak forest they live under the oaks. I saw them at The Pinery Park in Ontario, I think.

my rose of sharons do ok in pretty good shade

Karen,
How much shade does your Rose of Sharon have? Is it under a tree? on the east side of the house? Is it hardy - whereabouts in Ohio do you live (North, South, Central)?

Anyone has red azaleas that do well in zone 4 or 5?

By 'Black Beauty' do you mean the dark leafed Elder (Sambucus nigra) with the pink blossoms? I just planted two this spring so I'll see how they do in a year or so. The pictures of it sure are pretty. I gather it needs full sun for the best color and mine is planted in part shade so we'll see....

Isn't Rose of Sharon the same thing as Althea bush/tree? I have two...one planted in full sun blooming up a storm right now and one in partial shade/sun not blooming yet, but it has only been planted two years...I think it had one bloom last year. The one blooming in full sun has been established for several years. It had some friends (Rose of Sharon/Althea) but for some reason they died.

Rose of Sharons will grow great anywhere (I'm just outside of Cleveland in my own little microclimate) but do yourself and your neighbors a favor and cut off the seedheads before they burst otherwise you'll have a forest of them. The common varieties don't blink about blooming in total shade or being hit with winter wind but my "Bluebird" seems to need an extra boost to get more blooms back in my shade garden. Protect your azaleas from winter winds! Remember that our gooey clay soil is also high in minerals so you don't want to completely ignore it in favor of layering on "good" topsoil. Your plants will do a lot better if you mix that topsoil with a bunch of ground bark mulch and a little compost.

To bolumenb (whoever you are)
I have loads of shade in southeast Michigan. You wanted red azaleas that bloom? My Gerard Hot Shot azaleas have been under a maple for at least 10 years and bloom every year. I water the area like mad.

Of course, PJM and Aglo rhododendrons do well too. They are, respectively, light purple and pink.

Many ground covers do well in shade. If you can find some painters palette (it's a kind of persicharia) you will like its colors. The leaves are green with a lot of white and each also has a red swath through it. It gows taller in part sun but does well in shade, too.
I will TRY to give you a link so you can see my photo.
The plants are a lot larger now.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/namegal/msg0600560215577.html?7

Posted by: Loniesmom z5 (6?) NE OH (My Page) on Sat, Jul 3, 04 at 1:08
=============================================
You live close to CLeveland and I just live about 40 miles south of Cleveland (closer to Akron). I did not realize that Rose of Sharon propagates so easily! Well, I'll be sure to be careful with it.
THanks,
Bill