Question
What are the best choices for shrubs that look nice together for the front of a traditional house (tudor/colonial), in front of large living room stained glass window?  I would like to stay in the evergreens combination, shades of blue and greens that do not grow more than 3-4 feet.  We removed large items and want to stay lower, but have it look nice.  I am NOT an expert, and would have to trust a landscaper to make the choices.     
Thank you.
Nancy

Answer
Nancy,
I am getting ready to do the same thing with my new home which is a Colonial style with white porch railings that I don't want to hide.We also had to pull up some huge old Azaleas that were hiding the porch.I am going to use Boxwoods.Probably the Green Velvet if I can find them.They stay fairly compact but can also be trimmed into a hedge type if planted close enough.There are several type of Boxwoods and to find the best type for your area,go to www.google.com and type in a direct search for "varieties of Boxwood shrubs".That way you can actually see the shrubs and pick out the best for your area.Another good plant for contrast that requires very little care and looks great with Boxwoods are any of the low growing blue Junipers.Some remain small and do not sprawl out,some grow into a groundcover to cover a good size area.They block weeds and provide a good contrast to green.You can also go to a gold contrast with some dwarf type Rheingold Arborvitaies or Gold Thread.They are sort of shaggy looking and soft. You can look up these too on Google. Another good contrasting plant is the dwarf Nandinas that change from green to gold to a gorgeous red in the fall without loosing their leaves in the winter.Again you can look these up too. Plus I will give you sources.Hope these are helpful suggestions.Good luck with your planting project!

Here are some great sources to look at on the web:White Flower Farm,Musser Forests,Wayside Gardens, Shady Oaks Nursery,Walters Perennials(or Gardens),Jackson & Perkins,Khelm's Song Sparrow Perennial Farm,Van Bourgondien Bulbs,Van Dyck's Bulbs,Brent & Becky's Bulbs,Plants by Mail,Gardener's Supply Co.,Bluestone Perennials,Sheperds Seeds,Applewood seed Co.,Ball Seed Co.,Genesis Seeds,Ltd.(www.genesisseeds.com),Kieft Seed Co. USA(www.kieftseeds.com),Mountain Valley Seed,Inc.(www.mvseeds.com)

All these companies offer free catalogs too and a lot of specials if you order online.