shrubs for north side of house

[crosswinds]

Hi ,I have just joined the crew. We have a new home with the front facing north-east. I have made raised beds and need to know what kind of shrubs will do good with only a couple hours of sun in the morning. At my old house I had some boxwoods that did just great but am looking for some other kinds of shrubs with some color maybe and different textures.
We live at Lake Brownwood TX and have a lot of rock which is the reason I went to raised beds. I had top soil brought in to fill the beds so the soil is pretty good. I would like some suggestions for shrubs that are fairly easy to find in this area.

[green husker]

We planted Japanese Cleyeras on both the north and south sides of our house, and have had good luck with them. They will tolerate either sun or shade, and are not fast-growing, so maintainence is minimal. (They can be pick-pruned a couple of times a year.) They resemble photinias, but without the constant trimming necessary to keep them reasonable. If using for screening purposes, I would plant two rows, staggering the shrubs between the rows. We've lost only a couple of them over the years, for reasons I can't pin down.

Acubas are nice as well, but tend to like more water. (They readily droop when thirsty.) Another slow-grower, and they don't like a lot of direct sun. The 'Golden Dust' (I think) is a nice variety. Growth habit is rather like a stalk; you can cut the stalk back, or eventually gravity will pull it down, then it will root from where the branch is touching the soil. A good way to get free cuttings too.

Azaleas are nice, if the bed is indeed raised, and fluffy. They too like water, so give them a drink when droopy. Don't plant these in the soil like a regular shrub however; dig a shallow hole and backfill with a mix of hardwood mulch and finished compost. Move the soil from the hole to another location. Azalea blooms are wonderful in the spring, and there are so many colors available now. Prune these after the flower show is over, not before. 'Encore' is a variety that is marketed as a repeat-bloomer, but I've planted a couple and don't think they live up to the hype. Rabbit Hill Farms makes a great ready to use azalea food; use it once or twice a year around the base of the plants.

For any of these shrubs, keep the soil well-mulched (but not up to the trunk of the plant) to conserve moisture. See also my post (3-2-2006) regarding mulch from Louisiana.

Probably more info than you were looking for, but hope it helps.

green husker