Question
We recently bought a townhouse in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD. When we bought the house, it was bright yellow with faded red shutters and the front garden was adorned with hot pink azaleas and a purple rhododendron. I'm all for color, but yikes! So I took out the azaleas and rhododendron and donated them to neighbors who appreciated the color and then we painted our bright yellow house gray. Now I'm trying to find something to plant in my garden and I know nothing about plants. I went to my local garden center and discovered hydrangeas. According to the employee that I spoke with, hydrangeas would fare well in my front garden, which is shaded for the better part of the day. (The front of our house faces North/slightly East) The only problem is that I also learned that while hydrangeas bloom for a long time and look lovely, they die in the winter and look like little stick bushes. So I need something else to go in there with them. Something that looks nice in the winter and will do okay in my shaded garden. Something that's not an azalea or rhododendron. Any suggestions?

Answer
What do you have against Azaleas and Rhododendrons, Jennifer?

Azaleas covered in bright white flowers in early spring are lovely.  A few weeks from now, drive around your neighborhood and look for them.  They are stunning shade lovers that will also be exceptionally suited to sharing acidic soil with your Hydrangea.  The white is perfect with the gray you have selected for your house.

They're related to Rhododendrons.  Technically they're both "Rhododendron".

Some shade-loving shrubs are noted more than anything for their colored stems, which stand out in the winter landscape.

Red or yellow stems are prominent on some of the shrubby Dogwoods ('Cornus alba' and 'Cornus sericea' to botanists).

Japanese Kerria has strongly colored green stems.

Other shrubs that have stems textured enough to qualify as a 'WOW' factor.  The 'Burning Bush' (Euonymus alatus) has bright twiggy stems.

Berries in bright colors are prized in winter by birds and landscapers -- Red Chokeberry ('Aronia arbutifolia' to botanists) is one of my personal favorites.  It has vivid scarlet berries that stand out against the snow.  Of course, Holly and Bayberry have been famous for their berries for centuries across New England.

Snowdrop and Witchhazel (except for Hamamelis virginiana which blooms in late fall) are winter-time landscape gems.  Blossoms of Witchhazel arrive in the dead of winter, totally unexpected.  And they are extremely fragrant to make sure you notice them in the chilly air.

Bluebells grow best in semishade.  I have them up and down a side of my driveway under 2 Elms, at the edge of the Belgian block edge.  These are called officially 'Hyacinthoides' and they will multiply and divide just as long as the drainage is great, painting the landscape with a violet-blue brush.  Anemones are shade-lovers that should be used more -- look for them in catalogs next autumn.

FYI: Some Hydrangeas do better with lots of sun.  Make sure you have selected one that is shade-friendly.

Need more?  I could go on and on...