foundation plants.. are planted to hide the foundation.. not on it ...

and you should leave at least 2 or 3 feet.. at the foundation for maintenance ....

so that said.. do you have a 10 foot wide bed to plant something with 6 to 8 foot potential??

or is that the bed dimension.. and you should be looking for something in the 3 to 4 foot mature range ...

there is a conifer forum... where suggestions can be had ...

it would sure help us.. if you posted a pic of the area... if you want some ideas for something truly unique ...

good luck
ken

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow- we'd be planting 4-5 feet from the house. Basically there's a set of stone steps going from the driveway to a stone path to the other front door (the one we kept). The space between the stone steps/ stone path and the house is what needs to be filled. Currently there's a lot of pachysandra (except where the porch that was removed was- but I'm hoping that will fill in on it's own) as well as some hostas along the stone steps.

I'm not really overly excited by evergreens- I know that would make sense- but was wanting something that will flower. Pee Gee Hydrangea is one option but I'm wondering if it will be too twiggy in the winter. (And there's a small rhododendrun adjacent to it so we'd need something else.)

Here's a photo

And another

If you paint the foundation to match the siding, the area will look better during the time before the new shrubs reach the height you want.

I have acid moist well-drained sandy loam soil and am on the edge between zones 4 & 5. Here are some plants to look at that work well for me.

If there are smaller forms of Viburnum plicatum, that might work as they grow and bloom well with dappled or part shade IME. They have late spring white flowers, tidy summer foliage and red toned autumn color. Sorry about the lopsided shape of mine - a tree dropped on it.
{{gwi:248942}}From 2013

Some of the smaller forms of reddish-foliaged ninebark might work there - I am not sure how large the smaller forms get. See fall photo with Hydrangea.

There are other forms of Hydrangea paniculata than Pee Gee that have been selected for plant and blossom size, bloom color such as more lime in Limelight or early blushing in Quick Fire, or earlier or later bloom time, and you might want to check out some of these. I leave the dry blossoms on my H. paniculata for winter interest and prune them off about now. I also grow clematis (small flowered, hard prune type 3) into my H. paniculata to increase the bloom time, and since I can prune in late fall to 2 or 3 bud pairs per stem, it doesn't look messy in the winter.

Here is Quick Fire with Clematis 'Little Bas' in midsummer.
{{gwi:248944}}From clematis on hydrangea July 9, 2013

and the same plant in late September with a large ninebark, Coppertina, to the left.
{{gwi:248948}}From 2013

Fothergilla is a shrub with white bottlebrush-shaped spring flowers, neat summer foliage (some forms bluish), and stunning red/orange/gold fall foliage.
{{gwi:248950}}From 2013

Sorry theses Fothergilla flowers were wet, but it give an idea of their spring look. They have a lovely light honey scent.

There are some varieties of holley that would fit there. Holleys are evergreen but some will put on small flowers and berries.