What size shrubs? Colourful flowers or leaves? If flowers when do you want them? And do you want them blooming in succession or all together? Also do you know if you have acid soil or not? Do you want evergreen or deciduous? Or both?

nothing is drought proof in the year of planting or if a large transplant.. the second year ...see link below ...

a pic of the spot would help ...

i worry about the thought of a crazy quilt combo of 4 different colored shrubs ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=crazy+quilt&t=ffcm&ia=images&iax=images

btw... have you ruled out conifers ... ???... though many peeps call them shrubs.. we dont think that way ..... so advise if they are an option ...

ken

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Desired size in particular is really important in asking for recommendations as is knowing what you mean by colorful - leaves, flowers (is white colorful?), evergreens?

Will they all be placed together or scattered around in different areas? Can you add photos of the spot(s) where you are planning to put them?

In NJ I would expect the soil to be acid.

Here's the area; I'd like a few shrubs and then put down some mulch....it's bare at the moment and the tree on the left has been cut down so there is full sun.

Joe, could you put the picture directly into your post using the camera icon below the message box?

Looks like you maybe only have room for one or two good sized shrubs. I like Cotinus for color. I have Royal Purple and Golden Spirit. Both have beautiful color and can be left to grow large or coppiced annually to stay smaller. I also like Ribes Sanguineum (red flowering current) for early spring bloom. Also easy to prune to maintain size and shape you want.

I like Hydrangea paniculata cultivars such as Limelight, Quickfire, Little Lime, and Bobo. They all have a long flowering period and move from charteuse through white to pink over three or four months. Some (but not all) of them have stiff enough branches to support a clematis grown up into it for earlier bloom. If you don't have any evergreens, consider either some smaller conifers or broadleafed evergreens for winter interest if this area can be seen in winter.

I agree - one, or maximum two, decent size shrubs for that space.

Good idea Babs. Hydrangeas would looks good there. Although deciduous, I find mine pleasing most of the year. As Babs said, they change color from bloom time through late fall so there is always something interesting going on. And the dried flower heads add interest in the winter landscape. So there is only really a short time when they are boring and even a bit ugly--from when you prune out the dead wood and old blooms in late winter/early Spring until they leaf out. I pruned my giant mopheads about a month ago and the leaves are unfurling now, looking pretty and fresh with spring bulbs. I'd squeeze in a couple boxwood balls (or similar) somewhere to add more winter color, too.

An evergreen groundcover under whatever shrubs get planted would be another way to add winter color. And because the tree on the left is now gone, there may be a bit more space available than what shows in the photo.

Can you recommend any NH?