Doubt the nandina will be sufficiently evergreen in your zone. It is of borderline hardiness in zone 6 and is often a dieback shrub under colder winter conditions, although there are reports of it having sufficient root hardiness to reappear again in spring.

I'd look at something like boxwood, Ilex glabra (inkberry) or Japanese holly. Or a dwarf conifer for a year round evergreen presence.

Ok thank you for letting me know. I’d like to steer clear of boxwood because I already have a lot of it in other parts of the yard, but i like the idea of some kind of small holly. Just as long as you think there won’t end up being to much green and not enough color/textural interest. If I went with inkberry hollies, how should I place them, and should I get a variety that stays smaller? Also what are your thoughts on something like ’soft touch‘ hollies in this space? Or if you have any other suggestions on what to do with this area let me know. thank you so much.

Soft Touch holly is just a cultivar of Japanese holly, Ilex crenata. Looks an awful lot like boxwood (J. holly is often used as a boxwood substitute). So very little color other than green :-) Inkberry won't look much different....just gets a bit larger.

You might want to try one of the dwarf variegated abelias that are now on the market. Not fully evergreen (described as 'semi-evergreen' so drops some - but not all - foliage during winter). But they would offer some color other than just a solid green....and with attractive summer flowers to boot!!

I am just not familiar enough with what other broadleaved evergreen shrubs are available for your zone to make more specific suggestions. And I would not discount using dwarf conifers.....you can add a lot of color and winter interest with a good selection - golds/bronzes, reds/purples, blue.

Yes I like the idea of abelias as well. The variety ‘miss lemon’ really caught my eye. Do you recommend that I mass plant the whole slope with one type of plant or do you think I should do some sort of mixed planting? I don’t want it to look to busy, I’m a fan of more formal landscapes, but I also don’t want it to be too drab.

Yeah that makes sense. I’ll look into some sort of grass for a possible option. What if I planted everything in layers, starting with something like lily turf as the bottom layer, some sort of variegated Abelia as the second layer, and some kind of Japanese holly at the top around the redbud? Thanks so much for the help!

Oh and I do really like that ‘kaleidoscope’ Abelia!

I can’t grow Abelia, though I like the variegated abelias, but I like evergreens to dress up the winter garden. Check out some of the evergreen Rhododendrons bred by Weston nurseries in MA, sometimes grouped as PJM. They have smaller leaves, though not as small as boxwood, and often lovely winter foliage color - mahogany, maroon, olive. I have a couple of the smaller ones: Checkmate, which hasn’t exceeded 3’ in more than 10 years, and Olga Mezitt (sometimes sold as just Olga) which stays around 4’ in my garden. Landmark stays around 4’ as well, and there may be more that stay a reasonable height. Others such as the original PJM can get to 6’-7’ if left I pruned. I enjoy the way the leaves change daily with temperature, open during warmer weather, but rolled into tight little cigar shapes when the weather is particularly cold. They all have in-your-face spring flowers, blooming in shades of lavender, screaming magenta, and pink.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c163

Edited to add that you gave your zone, but often general location is helpful because we can infer info about the soil. In the northeast, most soils are acid, which Rhododendrons like, and though the PJMs are less fussy about pH than some Rhodes, they still won’t be happy with alkaline soil. So if you live in southern IL or IN, or even some parts of NY, be sure to get a pH test done to be sure your soil suits your plants.

Ilex glabra is native and will support insects to feed your birds. The boxwood and abelia are ecological near zeroes. If you want rhododendrons, look at the natives in your region.

LOL!! ANY plant will support insects, native or not! And so no plant is technically "ecological near zeros".

Native plants are great and I do encourage clients to include them as they wish. But they are by no means the be-all and end-all of gardening or ecological diversity.

Not too many native rhododendrons in southern IL........:-)

Yes I’m located in southern Illinois. I have done soil tests before and they usually range from 6-6.5. We generally have a clay based soil in most areas around here. I also have some rhodies but they’re in a way shadier spot than this and a lot of the time the new growth wilts or burns in early summer if we have especially hot weather, so I’m not sure how those would do here. what do you think? I just need to come up with a good plan. Thank you for all the help!

I'd be sure whatever I planted near it that was in leaf at redbud flowering time was a harmonious color. If this is a pink-flowered redbud maybe some dwarf conifers with bluish foliage for instance. These wouldn't be expected to get hit by a hard winter either.

Whereas the 1990 winter killed down Nandina domestica on some sites even here in USDA 8. (Also a lot of local plantings of it are having problems with leaf fungi these days). And Abelia x grandiflora might freeze down to the crown periodically in USDA 6. Otherwise Miss Lemon has been listed as a trademark used to sell the British origin 'Hopleys' cultivar in the US. It does not have the often garish coloring of the rather schizoid 'Kaleidoscope', which varies a lot in this respect. I have also seen the latter producing a comparatively tall habit on at least one occasion, in defiance of recurring depictions of it being low-growing - in your situation it might shoot up to conflict with the crown of the Cercis if planted beneath it.

Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' might be about perfect with the flowers of the redbud and have a good size and shape for the spot. However there is a problem with the typical species being a reseeding weed in eastern North America. I haven't noticed 'Emerald Gaiety' fruiting here that I remember - and maybe this only happens when it is allowed to climb and morph into an adult phase - but if you check you may even find the species listed as a noxious weed in New Jersey. If not, I'd consider the cultivar - even though white variegated the general impression produced is that of grayness.

Hmm. I have a lot of factors to look at. Thank you guys so much for the advice and information!