Hi, I am new to the forum! I have a cute little house with a front porch facing north. I have been trying earnestly to create a cottage garden look, natural, unsculpted, perennial, but it is just not working. Partly because I love to be out there in the
spring, but once the heat and humidity arives in July (central Connecticut River Valley),I hate to be outside, I become an air condition hound, so the garden gets neglected. It seems as though I need to find some low maintenance shrubs/bushes that tolerate a shady soil, which probably isn't the best,I'd also like color and texture too. It's about 2 - 3 feet to the bottom of the porch, in a single line, although I could add depth. I am so tired of it looking horrible. Please help!