paghat wrote:

In article , Pam wrote:

For year round appearance, at least a few (if not most) of your
foundation shrubs should be evergreen.

pam - gardengal

I've not found this to be the essential approach.

While it all comes down ultimately to a matter of personal taste, landscape
design principles generally approach the planting of the entry to one's
residence (front garden) to have a more uniformly year round appearance, thus
the emphasis on evergreen plant material. I agree that, particularly in colder
climates than the maritime Northwest, deciduous shrubs offer more seasonal
color and interest than do the evergreen, few of which are both hardy AND
flower in colder zones. However, few of us that live in very temperate
climates realize how long and cold and snowy northern winters can be and how
much more satisfying it is to look out on a winter garden that has some
interest other than a collection of bare sticks and naked branches.

pam - gardengal