Maybe you would like pelargoniums there. If those do well in your region.

You might consider hydrangea Little Lime. What type of sun do you get, e.g., afternoon/western, morning/eastern, other?

You might also like Mandevilla:

Fuchsia knock-out roses, lantana, more agapanthus, daylilies, variegated flax, foxtail ferns, begonia, sun coleus, geraniums, hibiscus will all work in your zone.

Do you want things that come back or more of a space that you change with the seasons?

tqtqtbw is right about the large variety of plants that will thrive in this zone, and I have/have had most she listed. Not a big fan of Lantana or Knock Outs; they’re too easy ;)

:-) I have most of them in my own garden, with the goal of developing a garden that looks great and takes care of itself. I will add tall and dwarf canna lilies, crinums, crocosmia, amaryllis, blue daze, caladium. My knees bother me some days so I been adding more colorful perennials and only add a few annuals in spots that need a pop.. Plus my geraniums and bright green sweet potato vines every year.

Plant a Meyer lemon or Satsuma orange tree in the cypress bed, since it seems to get the most sum.

My apologies for the delayed response. I posted my question and then came down with vertigo and have been a bit off for a few days here. Thank you so much for your wonderful suggestions!

Feel better and enjoy the space.

tqtqtbw- do crinums do okay here? I am coastal near Elizabeth City. I have a Sangria Crinum and was debating what to do, pot vs in the ground. I have flower beds that need some pop, too. Great ideas.

Lavenders ..Rosemary ...anything that the Bees love

Hi Morningloree, I was just reading earlier about her suggestion the crinum lily. Here is a somewhat local Nursery that sells them and I am linking you to the flower page however they also have a link on their site about where their crinum lilies grow in the USA. You can zoom in on the map. Check it out if you're interested! I was considering ordering from them after tqtqtbw suggested them above. The root system sounds a bit intimidating however I think it would be a wonderful to have one or two of these in my yard!

https://jenksfarmer.com/shop/

Snaggy, I just planted both!! Thank you!!

Thanks for the link. Think I will plant it in a protected location in my yard.

Hi, sorry I disappeared to help a sick family member. I'm in Houston 8a, and my crinums and others I see in the area are great in the zone. They easily endured this last cold winter with no cover. I wouldn't be afraid of any except the giant ones. They look huge in photos. I have four crinums in the ground near a fence, and three in pots for 2-3 years waiting to be placed. I do nothing for any of them. Love it.

Unless you like crawling around on your knees on pavement, or can work your flower beds while sitting on a stool, you might consider planting evergreen shrubs that either keep their leaves year round or bloom in most of the planting areas and adding a treated 4"x4"x8' posts in the center of each planting area to add your flowering plants that wouldn't make it through the winter or dry season -- plants that need the extra care.