Window on the left? I assume you mean the window on the right since there is no window on the left. If your soil is acid enough, a rhododendron or azalea would work nicely. Both are shallow rooted. But, please, choose a cultivar that will stay small. Most commonly sold ones get quite large. Rare Find nursery has some fine choices.

Sorry, yes! Window on the right. Thank you for that suggestion. I don't really have acidic soil but can bring some acidity to that spot. Appreciate too your letting me know about the Rare Find nursery! I'll have a look!

Sorry, if you have alkaline soil you cannot successfully acidify it. It just won't work long term. Look for something else.

Ok thanks

Itea virginica or Virginia sweetspire might suit your needs. It is of low stature, tolerates some shade, and sports some delightful white racemes of blooms. Mine have tended towards thirst, so bear that in mind. Where mine are planted, nearby tree roots greedily and successfully take up most available soil moisture, so despite an otherwise moist location, I do have to irrigate a bit. Then too ,mine are still getting established, so that situation may improve going forward. Many nice cultivars. And great red fall color.

+oM

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it and see if that will work. Appreciate you responding!

What a charming house!

How nice of you!

My Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' gets almost 5 feet tall and suckers like crazy. If you do go for an Itea, look for a smaller cultivar. It will still sucker, however. And it also wants fairly acidic soil. What is your soil pH anyhow?

I really like Itea as well but for us they do not do well at all unless they are in an area with constant moisture and acidic soil.

Have you thought at all about Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'? This would give you a good flower effect and you would have the dried flowers during the winter. There is a newer smooth hydrangea called Invincibelle Spirit II that would also work but give you a different color. If you would prefer the pink color be sure you get the second iteration of Invincibelle as the flowers are a nicer pink and turn to lime green rather than straight to brown after flowering.

Another option would be Fothergilla gardenii or Fothergilla major or the hybrid 'Mt. Airy'. The flowers come very early so you might not get the floral effect you are looking for but the fall color can make up for it.

nothing really stops growing ... so, regardless what y0ou plant... you wiol olearn how to renovate prune it ...

your house looks wood .... you will have to paint it ... if you want something 4 feet tall ... i suggest you plant it at least 4 feet away .... so you will leave 2 feet of unrestricted space at the wood ...

if the sewer is new... as the house looks.. it is not an issue.. other than digging the hole ... and there is no reason you cant set a plant a foot or two over.. and train it over to where you want ... really.. nothing that gets 4 feet tall ... is going to stay in one foot of soil ....

could you be a little more specific where you are.. z6 is about 1/3 the US ... might matter... maybe i missed it ...

is that green lid the septic cleanout.. i think i can see the dead/dormant grass outlining the tank ...

i cant help you with the soil issue... but i want you to think outside the box ... there might be other things that would do better there... like a tall perennial ... rather than a woody shrub

ken

Another idea is a large planter in blue and use a shrub rated for cold hardiness to a zone 4. You can also add annuals to the pot during the summer without disturbing the shrub roots. Place the pot on a flat landscaping stone to keep it off the ground

I'm a little behind on responses here, but appreciate all of your comments. I have had Itea before and it does tend to sucker more than I like. I like the look of Hydrangeas, if I could get them to bloom!! I may see about the Fothergilla -- never had one but do like the way they color. I am in Missouri. Not sure what the pH is exactly but I think it is just on the alkaline side. I've been able to get an Encore Azalea to bloom well this Fall by mulching with pine needles, so maybe an Azalea would do there as well.

Iowa - Invincible Spirit II has caught my interest. I just need to figure out why the hydrangeas I have don't bloom! Thanks for the suggestions. I am also looking at the fothergilla. In both cases, however, there may not be enough sun - It would be against a north/slightly northwest wall.

Jigiles - which Hydrangea is not blooming for you?

Twist and Shout, and an Endless Summer

I have a situation similar to yours and have tried both of those with about the same success as you - few if any blooms and very small not as advertised when they do bloom. Then I see other macrophyllas planted in full sun in parking lot median strips and they are blooming like crazy - but the plants look so stressed. I agree with Invincible Spirit as a possible candidate. They bloom on new growth - some folks wack them back all the way to the ground in late winter - and they have a nice pink color. Very easy to grow and maintain, however they do tend to spread by root suckers so keep that in mind.

Marshall

JJ, if you haven't yet planted up your spot here, if there would be a smaller-growing or I should say, slower-growing cultivar of Lindera benzoin, that could work too. The species would get too tall for you, but if there would happen to be such a cultivar-I don't know myself-it is an ultra-attractive shade-tolerant shrub IMO. Also appreciates moisture though...can't remember if that's a problem in this case.

+oM

adding to what +oM suggested, lindera benzoin is also the host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly to lay it's eggs which in turn produces a rather interesting caterpillar.

Marshall

Ok great! Thanks for the vote on Invinceable Spirit! Sounds hopeful for blooms. I will look up lindera benzoin - haven't heard of that one. At least not by that name.

Lindera Benzoin sounds like a nice shrub/tree, but I'm needing something shallow rooted and no more than 4 ft. But might be good somewhere else,

Is Skimmia hardy where you are?

Looks like a very nice shrub, but sadly it's not for my zone 6b zone..

Hmm. Daphne's do smell good for sure. Which one do you like the most?

The only Daphne I've grown is 'Carol Mackie', which as you probably know is very common. I've looked for 'Briggs Moonlight' and 'Somerset', but for some reason they haven't gained the popularity of 'Carol Mackie' and are a challenge to find. I've read Daphne can be fickle, but Burkwood Daphne does well up here and is easy to grow in our well drained soils. Still, I would like to try a couple of the species that are rated as z4 hardy. Hopefully someone with experience growing these will chime in.

If you want a really lovely Daphne, I've enjoyed having D. x transatlantica 'Summer Ice' which always has a few blooms from before my last spring frost until hard freeze in the fall. It never has a full spectacular bloom like 'Carol Mackie', but Summer Ice will give you delicately variegated foliage and Daphne scent all season. Since it will be planted by your porch, I think Summer Ice would suit well. Here it is on 11/14 a few years ago, still with a few blooms after several hard frosts. It has a reputation of being a bit less fussy than many Daphnes. I would agree with that since mine had a hard life - spending its first year in a pot when we had to do some digging where it was scheduled to be planted, followed by much colder winters than it is supposed to like, and multiple munchings by voles. This summer it finally died when the voles ate every last root, but I like it enough to replace it (though with a root cage to protect it.) My apologies for the photo quality - I couldn't find a good photo of this plant. I ordered mine on-line since I didn't see it anywhere locally.

I also like the various Hydrangea arborescens such as Annabelle and Invincible Spirit, though I have no experience with the I.S. Because they bloom on new wood, and are rock hardy, you won't have any issues with getting enough flowers from any of the H. arborescens cultivars like you have with your H. macrophylla cultivars. As mentioned above, you will need to remove suckers annually so that it doesn't end up like my Annabelle, but even after being massively over grown, I was able to rip out enough of the roots this fall to make it a more manageable size. It is quite shallow rooted, so not difficult to do, but it would have been quicker to keep on top of it since the new suckers pulled out more easily than older ones. This type of hydrangea can often be found at local nurseries, though it may take some looking around.

Thank you for these pictures and comments about both plants! I am more encouraged now to try either Annabelle or Invincible Spirit. Fothergilla is of interest too, but in the end I think I'd get more consistent blooms during the season and a showier look with one of the Arborescens. Very helpful.

I have appreciated all the help and comments from everyone to help me decide on a good shrub! I think I have some good choices now. You all have been great! Big thanks to each!

Thank you, jjgiles. I really enjoy these types of threads -- I wish there were more!

H. arborescens is a great plant. I've got few different clones growing here, but 'Incrediball' is a standout. Fertilize in spring and make sure they get an occasional drink -- they make it easy to be gaudy. ;)

I've noticed a hydrangea growing in the low maintenance (very low maintenance) ditch at the front of our property. I'm pretty sure it's a spontaneous H. arborescens, but I'd need Sam to sleuth that out. I've watched it grow on for a few years now, and it never looks like it's winning the competitive battle with oak roots, grasses, and whatever non-native pest has set up shop in the understory. It's hanging in there and this is one of nature's little treats we get to eaves drop on. Isn't life grand?!

Yeah, this has been great with everyone pitching in with their ideas! I've learned things I didn't know about the different cultivars of several plants that were mentioned. I have other spots I would love to have some imput on, so likely I'll try starting another thread soon!

Thanks for the tips on H Arborescens. Yes, life is grand, and fun when it deposits little surprises where you least expect! Hope your H.A. wins the battle. Cheers!

I think you made the right decision on Fothergilla vs Hydrangea arborescens. I grow and like both a lot, but IMO Fothergilla isn't at its most ornamental in summer. Mine is planted either along the woods edge where it stands out spring and fall and fades into the background the rest of the year, or along a SW facing patio where it's too hot to sit in midsummer, so it gets used mostly spring and fall when the Fothergilla is at its best. It is a great plant if you have the right spot for it, but I think H. arborescens will work better by your sitting area. Be aware that depending on your conditions, it may need a bit of propping up when the blossoms are full. If needed, that is best accomplished early in the season so that the plant can grow up and cover the supports in a more natural looking fashion than if it's added later.

Here are a couple photos of H. a. 'Incrediball'. A feature of this plant is the stems are sturdier than some of the other clones.

Maack, did you happen to notice, in that last pic there is some kind of weird growth on the plant. Just trying to be helpful!

+oM

Beautiful maackia! Thanks!

LOL. I considered pruning it out, but thought the better of it.

When they speak of head-sized blooms, they aren't kidding.

tj

Dwarf fothergilla do best in sunny areas -- I've mine ('Beaver Creek') sited on Western exposure and they bloom in spring with white bottlebrush flowers. They are deciduous so no evergreen look in winter. For shade I can suggest Japanese andromeda-- 'Valley Valentine' is a nice pink to rose 'Lily of the Valley' shaped flowers and with some pruning you can keep it within bounds of the window. It is an early spring bloomer and evergreen after that. May need some soil acidifier to take up fertilizer done once a year. If you want summer blooming plant try Hydrangea macrophylla 'Strawberries and Cream'- it blooms on new and old wood. It is deciduous. The pink color remains true regardless of soil pH. The photo below is from 2011 and the white flowered plant on the far right next to the hollies is 'Beaver Creek' dwarf fothergilla. The yellow plants are Alyssum 'Basket of Gold' since removed as they tend to self seed as you can see. On the very left edge of the photo is another 'Beaver Creek' fothergilla. Taken in May/April.

Pieris (very old name Andromeda), like azalea and rhododendron, requires acid soil. It is not possible to successfully acidify alkaline soils. And those huge flowered hydrangeas would I think look overpowering in front of that rustic little house. I suggest you look at Ceonothus americanus (New Jersey Tea), a handsome native with summer bloom, or a spring blooming Deutzia, like Chardonnay Pearls. A number of spireas would work too--check out the S. double play series.

I actually have. Chardonnay Pearls I need to put somewhere, so I may just so that! Was thinking it would need more sun though than in that spot. It's a north/northwest facing wall. New Jersey Tea seems like a nice shrub too. I think the spirea would need more sun there, but glad to know of some newer cultivars. Thank for the ideas!