I would like to get some suggestions for shrubs that are senior friendly. I have too many ailments to climb ladder to trim shrubs and I need your advice on selecting some shrubs and plants that will stay on the small side.

I live in zone 6 � my soil is clay. It is a south west exposure that will get full sun. There will be no shade once the dogwood is gone. The area is about 15 feet long by 10 feet wide.

I have a bay window flanked by 2 window wells in the front of my home to consider. My siding is blue gray, white trim and black shutters.

I think my seasonal interest would be summer, fall and winter as I have a zoysia grass lawn that does not green up until May.

Your advice is welcome. Many thanks.

PS. Would limelight hydrangea and some knock out roses be a possibility?

if i were you .. i would buy SMALL .. what pleased me.. and dont worry about what will happen in another 28 years ...

life's too short to buy stuff that doesnt make your toes curl.. because they 'fit' ...

we would need to know where you are.. to give any real useful info ...

ken

ps: i hope you get at least 3 prices on the work .. and INSURE that they are fully insured to do the work .... ask to see the policy.. and then call the ins co.

Thanks for the advice about the insurance. I did call the firm's insurance co. and they have liability and workman's comp and their premiums are up to date. Several neighbors have used them and they report that they were happy.The other estimates I got did not pass the workman's comp test.

I guess I am thinking that if I did sell in the next few years I would like everything to look tidy and attractive.
Thanks again.

However, here's some info to get you started. The limelight hydrangea may struggle in full sun all day, since in general hydrangeas like a lot of moisture. Do you have some sort of a watering system, such as a soaker hose for the area? Also, you might want to think about something with spring interest to distract from the lawn in early to mid spring.

There are some weigelas that stay quite small ('Spilled Wine' and 'My Monet' off the top of my head.) Heaths and heathers stay small. Checkmate rhododendron stays small and I have found to need no particular care other than mulch annually. Birds' nest spruce gets wide, but not tall. You can ask on the conifer forum about other smaller sized conifers. There are a couple of kinds of deutzia that stay small ('Chardonnay Pearls' and 'Nikko'), both of which I have and give little care to beyond the regular additions of mulch and some water in really dry weather that the entire bed gets. Boxwoods can be kept small with regular pruning, I believe.

I'd probably go to local nurseries in the spring and read lots of tags and make notes as to height and width, bloom time, and bloom and foliage colors. Then I'd go home and figure out what might look good.

Until then, I've attached a link to the plant search at the Missouri Botanical Garden's website. You can put in requirements for plant characteristics and requirements and see what pops up. There may be other similar plant searches hosted by other botanical gardens or universities.