I don't like the ground covers, so I don't think that I will do that. Looking for a shrub that is low maintenance. Any advice? Thanks

You haven't given us much to go on. How much sun/shade? Sizes? Flowering preferred or will just foliage work? Evergreen or deciduous?

Country, and region of country. Orientation of house. Type of soil. There may be more, but that will give us enough to start.

Right now I'm leaning heavily to Florus plasticus.

Sorry.. Here you go... USA, New England (Boston). (east) Full Sun, afternoon shade. I like flowering and foliage. I was thinking Mount Laurels, Ivory Halo Red-twigged dogwood, and Potentillas, and Newport Blue boxwoods. I don't want to exceed 4ft. I do not plan on buying ground covers or trees at this time. I think it's clay soil.

Let me know if you need anything else. I'm new to this. Thanks

I just planted a Star Magnolia "Royal Star" today that my neighbor bought me as a belated birthday present (almost two months belated lol). Also consider Mock Oranges.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

When it comes to shrubs, you have many, many choices. I'm not an expert on shrubs, but many of the flowering ones put out their flowers in the spring and then look, well, like shrubs after that. So either make sure you really love the flowers and/or fragrance, or make sure you really love the foliage after, because that's what you are going to be looking at for most of the season or year. For example, I love forsythias in bloom. After that though, they are just a scraggly looking bush to my eye. Same with some of the smaller lilacs (although the scent is fantastic).

Mock orange smells heavenly! It's not really all that special after it blooms, but it's not bad looking either. If you chose mock orange, you'll want one of the dwarf varieties that will stay at or around 4' high. A dwarf Korean spice viburnum is another alternative. I was asking for advice on some shrubs on these boards a few weeks ago, and someone recommended 'Summer Ice' daphne. Really beautiful flowers and nice green foliage tinged with creamy white rims. Oh, apparently the flowering period lasts months, which is always very nice.

Hydrangea arborescens or hydrangea quercifiolia are other alternatives. Oakleafs have nice foliage in the fall and as they get older have exfoliating bark for the winter attraction. Both would need pruning to keep at your 4' max height.

Deutzia gracilis 'Nikko' has nice double blooms in the spring, with nice foliage in the fall. It's a pretty low shrub.

You could always go with box too.

gdpossehl(8a GA), jnavarro31(6a) and Brad AKA Moonwolf. Thanks so much. These seem like great ideas. I'm going to read about them all now. Thanks for writing on my post. I appreciate the help.

You will want to space them to avoid the windows if you want them 4' high. The sketch has ground cover partly because it creates a mass large enough to be seen from a distance, and partly because in the areas in front of the windows, either you want something low, or the windows will be blocked which typically looks awkward. There are ground covers with flowers for at least part of the year such as Veronica 'Georgia Blue', Iris cristata, Phlox divericata (a 1' tall, spring-blooming, woodland phlox), variegated Solomon's seal (Polygonatum) or one of the running Tiarellas, any of which will do fine in your site, and there are ones with variegated foliage such as Carex 'Ice Dance'.

The advantage of adding a small to medium tree or two off the house corners is that they will help ground the house rather than have it sticking up really high above all the plants. I couldn't tell from your post if you were planning to just skip them or planning to add them later.

Hydrangeas that would probably work here (since I think the afternoon shade will be bright unless there are overhanging trees out of sight) include Annabelle or other H. arborescens types which form flower buds in the spring, or a low-growing H. paniculata such as Bobo or Ddharuma or White Diamond, which also will form flower buds on new growth, or a reblooming H. macrophylla (they should bloom even if the overwintering flower buds get killed) since they will form flower buds on new growth as well. Just be sure you don't choose a once-blooming H. macrophylla. I don't know of any oak leaf hydrangeas that stay less than 5'.

Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice' is a gorgeous plant IMO, but is best appreciated close up for its scent and subtle variegation. Will you be using this door regularly or hanging out in the front yard? If not, I'd put that one somewhere else.

There are a few shrubs that will stay low, perhaps stay low enough to grow in front of the windows. One of the short Deutzias, as mentioned above, might work (Nikko, Chardonnay Pearls, Yuki Cherry Blossom, and Creme Fresh all stay short but there are others that to to more than 6'), and there are some Weigela that stay short, both variegated and dark-leafed.

'...I don't like the ground covers,...'

From a landscaper's point of view, the groundcovers in that diagram are what ties it all together into a cohesive design. You could probably get away with using pachysandra in full sun up there, if it's hardy for you. Down here it needs just a bit of shade. I think it adds a lot of curb appeal.

There are a number of properties in my neighborhood (including mine!) that use pachysandra to establish beds. It keeps weeds down and is evergreen. What's not to love? Yes, it is a bit commonplace, but I use a variegated variety that adds a lot of interest. There's also 'Green Sheen' with a glossier leaf surface.

If you like the idea of hydrangeas, there are many new, smaller varieties. For instance, the National Arboretum released some dwarf oak leaf varieties, including Ruby Slippers and Munchkin, which I find very appealing. There are several dwarf paniculetas as well.