Hi coffeemaster, I'm in the DC area. Mophead hydrangeas (like Endless Summer) would do nicely there. However, they are my last shrub to leaf out in spring. Each April I watch the hydrangeas and crape myrtles wondering whether they're dead or alive 'cause everything else is green. So you're going to have bare sticks from November until early May.

>We would like to have something with some color and not just basic evergreen shrubs<

>you're going to have bare sticks from November until early May<

Solve these two concerns by planting evergreen shrubs at the ends of each bed and deciduous shrubs in the middle. As in evergreen shrubs lining the walk and at the far ends.

Also in Maryland you should be able to have something other than "basic evergreen shrubs". Something more interesting. Visit some independent outlets to see what they think might grow there.

Endless Summer isn't a single variety of mop-head hydrangea anymore, it is now a series that includes at least one lace-cap cultivar. The introducing company is now calling the first one in the series The Original ('Bailmer') instead of 'Endless Summer'.

"Solve these two concerns by planting evergreen shrubs at the ends of
each bed and deciduous shrubs in the middle. As in evergreen shrubs
lining the walk and at the far ends."

I would take out that tiny patch of grass and layer dwarf conifers or broadleaved evergreens like Pieris toward the rear and smaller H. serratas like 'Tiny Tuff Stuff' in front. Or something like the very small H. arborescens 'Wee White.' I highly dislike the front of any home with too many deciduous shrubs- winter is a long time.

A visit to Behnke's Nursery in Beltsville MD (or Merrifield Garden Center in Fairfax county, Va) would be a good place to start. My suggestion is reblooming azaleas but undoubtedly the staff at Behnke's will point you toward something more interesting.

That’s a pretty front porch!

What are those existing shrubs? Looks to me like they are way too close to the house and steps.

Whatever you decide to plant, make sure their mature height isn’t higher than the top of your porch railing. Which appears to be about 4’. And that limits your choices. It’s not a good idea to plant something that wants to be 6’ tall and then keep trimming it back, since you’d probably be cutting off its flowers every year.

I went back for a second look. Your steps are bothering me, especially the top step. Is it only one brick deep? That’s surely not to code and looks dangerous to me. I’d be falling @ss-end-over-appetite every day down those steps.

Thanks Everyone! All great suggestions. We will visit some local garden centers and begin the process. Years ago i tried some english boxwoods along the walk leading up to the stairs but they got the boxwood blight and unfortunately died off.

I would consider an oakleaf hydrangea in order to provide very nice Fall foliage. Select from compact ones though, like Pee Wee, Ruby Slippers, Munchkin, Sikes Dwarf or Vaughn's Lillie.

Thanks littlebug, its actually two but hard to see in the pic. No falls yet:)

some ideas using Little Lamb hydrangea, Soft touch holly, camellia & annuals:

Thanks Doug! Awesome!

Both the 'Little Lamb' hydrangea and the camellia will get far taller (and most likely wider) at 6-8' than that area calls for so you will be doing a lot of pruning to keep their sizes in check. I have a client with established plantings of Little Lambs that tower over me at this time of year and need to be severely pruned each spring to even keep them at that size!! And camellias here (and in the South) can grow into actual tree-sized plants 10-15' tall or more. Instead, look for flowering shrubs that are actual dwarfs or will stay within bounds without an unnecessary need for a lot of pruning to keep things in scale.

Never see them like that in the mid-atlantic. However, use what ever dwarf flowering plant you like. A more typical size is 4' x 4'.

Camellias, depending on cultivar stay much smaller than that. Especially in the mid-atlantic.

http://www.homenursery.com/blog/bid/312662/Hydrangea-Little-Lime-Vs-Hydrangea-Little-Lamb-Comparison

https://www.gardenia.net/plant-variety/Camellias-all-you-need-to-know

Don’t limit yourself to the Endless Summer series of Hydrangea macrophylla. There are a bunch of reblooming big leafed hydrangeas and H. serrata that will be more in keeping with the 3’-4’ height you need there. Use a combo of broad leafed blooming evergreens such as azaleas and Rhododendrons as well as evergreen groundcovers for winter and spring interest. Around here I like Veronica Georgia Blue and perennial candytuft/Iberis sempervirens, which are more interesting than Pachysandra and more easily managed than Vinca, but they may not be the best choices in your area for evergreen groundcovers. I like to keep plants along a walkway knee high or lower so that the walk doesn’t feel crowded.

Morning sun and afternoon shade is a great situation for a garden!