what about

nandina 'firepower'

gardenia brighamii

forsythia

loropetalum

some of these can get large and must be gradually shaped into small shrubs, but it is worth it in the long run, especially for loropetalum.

I wouldn't plant any plant that will get large enough to need regular pruning or you will in a few years be right back where you are, with a choked feeling around the front door. There are some quite small evergreen rhododendrons and azaleas. Here's a search form for the Am. Rhodie. Soc.'s database that allows you to put in height, width, and cold tolerance; leave everything else you don't have strong feelings about blank. You could ask for experiences that folks have with the varieties you are looking at on the Azalea and Rhododendron forum. I'd ask for suggestions of small conifers that are reasonably readily available on the conifer forum.

I agree with NHBabs. I use evergreen azaleas as a lovely green back drop (aka foundation planting) to feature my perennials in the front. In the spring you get a big boost of blooms from the azalea and then here come the blooming perennials.

You could put a conifer all along the back, but with azaleas or rhodies you get the evergreen AND the spring blooming bonus.

I'd suggest a colorful (blue, gold or varigated) dwarf conifer as specimens.

the only thing I mentioned that really has aggressive growth is forsythia, there are dwarf varieties of loropetalum if the standard gets too big. Azaleas would work, but why not gardenia brighamii? It is evergreen. slow growing, flowers, a nice fragrance, and overall low maintenance. occasionally you may get some winter damage if the snow covers it, which typically only consists of the tips of the stems dying.

Assuming alkaline soil, what are your suggestions? It isn't a given in KC that the soil is azalea-friendly. For that reason, I'd suggest pruning the yews hard next spring, and trying to keep them. Small conifers would be another possibility, but there aren't a lot of reasonably priced ones that stay that size.

Caldwell. Gardenia brighamii? Really? It's a full tropical plant, suitable to zone 10, not zone 6. Do you know where it is likely to be found? Hawaii!

rhizo_1, I am in zone 7a and I have several gardenia brighamii shrubs that bloom beautifully every year, they don't lose the leaves in winter either.

I still think loropetalums would be good for the spot. have you looked at them?

I have looked at loropetalum and loved the color and texture, but it is zoned for7 and conservatively 8 by the MO botanical society.

what about japanese azaleas?

If your soil is alkaline, azaleas or rhodies, no matter how compact, will not thrive for you.

what about:

berberis x mentorensis (mentor barberry)

llex cornuta (burford holly)

coleonema pulchrum 'aurea'

euonymus alatus (burning bush)

rhododendron calendulaceum

Several of your suggestions will be too tall for my locations,but I do like the Aurea. I think my next step is to test the soil. I know I see a lot of rhododendron and azaleas in the area, but not sure if it is acidic or alkaline.

I do like nine bark and its red coloration. Thoughts on whether it would look good in front of Windows?

I'm a little confused about placement. NHBab:. Are you suggesting putting Rhodo or Az along sidewalk leading up to front door or in front of window as a foundation plant? I think I prefer broadleaf to conifers. Box woods are very popular here and I like them. Any other broadleaf suggestions?

How high are the windows? If you like ninebark/Physocarpus, there are a few smaller selections like Tiny Wine which shouldn't exceed 5' and the ones I've seen have been more upright and less arching. I wouldn't suggest regular pruning of physocarpus for height, so they may be too large and better placed elsewhere.

You could check to see if there are any Mahonia that are the right size for your requirements. I've been blown away by the color and scent of a Mahonia in full bloom in zone 7 (though I don't know the variety), and I know I've seen some varieties in zone 6, so it might be worth investigating. Where they aren't happy they can look ratty, but when in a spot they like, I find them quite handsome.

I was thinking of rhodies along the sides of the walkway, but they would need to be quite small or slow-growing selections. Alternatively, slightly larger but still small selections might work under the windows if you have acid soil. As Laceyvail and MadGal suggested you would need to test soil first. I didn't read carefully and missed the reference to KC. A good reference for you would be the Missouri Botanic Garden's plantfinder (and the garden itself if you are up for a field trip.) You can put in requirements like evergreen and shrub and height and width and see what pops up.

I also would want to figure out all the plants for the entire front area before actually planting anything since you want to be sure that everything will work together. You can still plant in stages as time, finances and energy allow, but I wouldn't plan in pieces.

You might want to ask Yardvaark if you can put his sketch over here so that others can see the general look you are working towards. Or even just link to that thread on the LD forum.

I'd use something low there that likes good drainage, like Japanese garden juniper, or Juniper horizontalis "Mother Lode', maybe a low-growing cotoneaster. Even those will take regular maintenance.

I was thinking of along the steps, but maybe you are referring to another area that I'm not following!

Thanks for everyone's input. I will test the soil first, but am leaning toward AZ, Rhodies , box woods with perrenials as accent.

I saw something today that I thought you might be interested in, coleonema pulchrum 'aurea' paired with Nandina 'firepower'. boxwoods would work but I just thought you might like the idea. both plants are evergreen and low maintenance.