Large shrubs are easy, so many wonderful ones to choose from, but the lawn isn't large enough (wanders kind of long and occasionally narrow along the hillside) to ring with 6'+ shrubs, so we need mostly short and middle-height ones toward the front.

The grass is light green, so rich deeper greens especially desirable. Deciduous fine, evergreens for some definition in all seasons also especially desirable. Flowers nice but not at all necessary. This will be a cool green garden (once the trees grow up, anyway) for us to enjoy from the porch, with only occasional flowers to set it off. I do want it to be beautiful, though.

Zone 7, mostly sunny, hot humid summers, warm nights, winter stretches into teens common, acid soil, not dry but should not need a lot of water.

Thanks very much for any and all suggestions. I really need them!

These are easy shrubs, they're on the small side, and they can be easily trimmed.

They have a pink bloom in early summer.

I guess I need fairly densely branched but not overly rigid (spirea sure aren't) shrubs with central branching that end up as wide or wider than tall. If necessary then a few on the very lowest tier could be removed to create deep shady room to cruise the mower under. I saw Ilex glabra at a nursery yesterday and wondered if it might do nicely too. I read that there are shorter cultivars...somewhere.