not many shrubs.. are going to fit in that bed.. would you be willing to make it wider??

some trellis with clematis.. would give you the height you need to make a real impact ... i do not know which one/type would work in z4 ...

could we have a big city name.. it might matter ...

ken

Thanks Ken.

I'm in St. Paul, MN. I would like to keep the bed the same size as it's about 12 feet between that and our patio. It's a nice spot to run and play for my kids. I was thinking trellis as well, in the corner (on the left) or against the garage?

some ideas:

I think that a 'Summer Wine' ninebark would really show off nicely towards the back of your garage where the downspout is. It takes easy to pruning if and when such might be necessary.

I think you need to show a whole complete scene. Show right and left of the above picture, but have the camera be a same viewpoint as above pic, so they all fit together as one picture.

Planting clematis on trellises would add color with height and the southern exposure would work well for clematis. You will need to plant something in front of the clematis to keep the ground cool(protecting the roots from too much heat). Also, I had to put some wire cages around my clematis at ground level because bunnies would nibble them. I would keep the sedum there, as they may end up too floppy if they don't get a lot of sun. There are many kinds of clematis for our area so pick a few with colors you like. If you would like to entice some hummingbirds and butterflies, try planting some Monarda(Bee Balm) but not right in front of the clematis as my bee balm gets pretty tall. I have a red/burgundy but I don't remember the name. There are several to choose from and some may be a bit shorter as well.

How deep is the bed front to back? I agree that additional photos would help as well. Along with the ones suggested by Yardvaark, at least one that shows the distance between the bed and the patio would help.

I agree about Physocarpus/ninebark Summer Wine or several others providing color, but with the bed in its current shallow front to back depth, it won’t fit. It is a shrub that IMO doesn’t look good pruned to size since it has a fountaining form that is part of its charm, and pruning for size doesn’t allow this. I think even some of the “dwarf” ninebarks like my Tiny Wine would look squeezed against the building there.

I like the idea of trellised vines such as clematis with perhaps some tall perennials or small, narrow evergreens - look for dwarfs and read not only plant tags which tend to give size at 5 or 10years, but also check out reliable sources such as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s PlantFinder for longer term growth expectations.

Clematis like consistent moisture as opposed to cool soil temperatures per se, but not deep root competition, so mulch or shallow-rooted, low to medium height perennials would be fine around their feet. Check out the herbaceous clematis Serious Black for some darker foliage for contrast. Many clematis are fully hardy in your zone.

Check out some of the zone 3 hardy smallest hydrangeas such as H. paniculata Bobo which is fine in full sun or even perhaps one of the smallest H. arborescens such as Minimauvette or Wee White if there is a spot that gets some afternoon shade.

There are also some newer cultivars of Hosta that are sun tolerant that you could check out if you like the look of Hosta there, but I think having at least some tall plants would help. As others have said, the Sedum is happier in full sun rather than shade.

i would trellis on each side of the window ... ken

since you are unwilling to widen the bed . then.. IMO ... no shrubs will fit there ... except for extreme dwarfs .. and even those will have to be pruned to fit ...

i THINK ... you would be better served with taller perennials ... check out this link.. not a shrub in sight ...

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/rain-dsvw-vd~5460471?n=38

unfortunately.. you didnt include that forum ...with this post ... you could start one there.. and link to this one ...

ken

Not that many of DaisyinCrete’s actual plants would grow in zone 4, but it is a great illustration of color from perennials with a few smaller or prunable shrubs.

Midnight Wine or My Monet Weigela, Tiny devil nine bark. They do well in my Zone 6A. Check for hardiness in your zone.

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions, very appreciative. Thank you Doug for putting that picture together, being able to visualize is really helpful.

The bed is approx. 51", so a little over 4 feet. Here are some additional photos.

nwilliamson25 I hope you will keep us updated on what you end up doing here. I am looking forward to seeing what you decide on.

forsythia (yellow flowers in the spring) - can be kept trimmed

more suggestions feel free to look at www.monrovia.com

you can sort by color and zone and they are a grower that supplies to nurseries throughout the us.

Idea for organizing.

pretty sure you have my opinion.. lol ...

just one final thought .... thats nice siding ... whatever you plant.. prune it .... to keep it off the siding ... sooner or later.. just about anything will get to it ...

ken

These are some of the summer blooming shrubs: Mockorange, Spirea, Potentilla, Viburnum, Summersweet, Hydrangea, Panicle Hydrangea. These are low maintenance shrubs so you need not work in the garden in the summer. These colorful shrubs would transform the look of your backyard. Here are some summer gardening tips: https://forevergreeninc.ca/summer-gardening-tips-keep-plants-healthy-in-hot-weather/

There are a bunch of spirea as suggested by Ridley above that are small enough for your space, with either gold or green foliage and white or pink flowers such as Gold Mound, Gold Flame, etc. but you will need to research carefully since there are also many varieties of spirea that would be too large for your space.And likewise, there are a a couple of summersweet/Clethra alnifolia that are small enough such as Sixteen candles or Crystaltina, though most aren’t, and even the smallest ones tend to sucker and will need pruning to stay in bounds. But most of Ridley’s suggestions are too large for a 4’ bed such as Mock orange/Philadelphus, Viburnum, most Potentilla shrubs, and most of the panicled hydrangeas, though I gave you one above, Bobo, that might just fit. The other species of hydrangeas mostly aren’t hardy enough to bloom in zone 4.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm in the process of cleaning out the bed and getting the soil ready. Would it be wiser to wait until spring to plant anything new vs now?

Given our recent weather, it might be best to wait now until spring to plant. If you are planning to keep the hostas and just move them to another place in the yard, that should still be safe to do. They will do better in the ground than if you temporarily pot them and leave them outdoors, unless you also sink the pots into the ground for now. Our weather has been so strange, I fear we are going to have an early frost. I think most new plantings benefit from having a bit of time to establish before the freeze. Hoping I am wrong but it sure seams unseasonably cool right now and it looks like we are still going to have more rain next week. I still have too much yardwork to do-need it to dry up again.

Zone 4 just tells us you have cold winters. If your soil is clayish, I might wait and plant in spring. If you tend to have long falls and your soil is well-drained, plant asap and mulch well. I will likely continue planting for a couple of weeks.