Need a dwarf bush for community center

Hi all you busheroos. I have only 5 kinds of bushes at my house: something that turns red in the fall that the deer like to eat, white flowering spirea against the house, too many redosier dogwoods on a hill, 2 different colors of butterfly bush and 3 barberry plants (ouch) around the pergola. So my bush knowledge is dismal to say the least...don't even own a good book on shrubs. However, I'm the volunteer at our community center in charge of plantings. We want to line a long walkway in front of the center in the spring with with dwarf shrubs that will stay small . These need to have some seasonal "color" that's interesting, and "maybe" look good alternately planted among equally dwarf ornamental grass (another void in my knowledge). Anybody out there have any suggestions for shrubs that might fit this bill? I need pictures, too, and probably a referral to good reference books (also with pictures) on dwarf shrubs. I'll be using 4-H kids as my "workers" when it comes time to plant, so I guess I will need forgiving plants, too, as the kids don't always follow directions to a T. Some are really in to mud making while they plant! Barberry might cut them up too much for their parent's pleasure.

I found one reference for you. It doesn't have photos, but knowing the name, you can Google for information and images.

One good reference book with photos and all kinds of drawing is Sunset's National Garden Book. It is the national equivalent of the Western Garden Book. It gives you all kinds of information on a plant including the hardiness zones it will grow in. I was trying to think of the shrubs I grew when we lived near Cincinnati, but they were all too big for your needs.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1085.pdf

Well - we all have different ideas about what "dwarf" is and I recall hearing
that "dwarf" connifers actually can get what I'd say is quite large. So - how
big do you want them to be?

One of my favorites are daphne's (e.g Carol Mackie is a nice one). They are
essentially evergreen, bloom with an amazingly beautiful scented flower in very
early spring and have very pretty & interesting folliage. Ultimate size is maybe
3'. They do have a habit of dying off unexpectedly. I had one for about 8 yrs and
it up and died on my for no apparent reason. (that's their downside)

Give us a description of the size you'd like - approx. height & width of ultimate size.
And conditions - sun/shade, moist, dry?

Thanks
Tam

bettydee, thanks for the reference and link.!

Tammy, I think 2' should be the maximum mature height/width. We are all volunteers with varying degrees of skill and knowledge at the community center, so a shrub that doesn't require lots of attention (pruning) would be a plus. 3' might be a maximum height for the ornamental grass as it's more airy. Site will receive full sun.

Off the subject, Saw the nicest fall yard decoration this morning on the way to work. In this week's car pool I'm a passanger and have time to observe! Homeowner placed 3 store-bought scare crows right in front of 3 ornamental grasses (slightly taller than the scarecrows). The combination of bright colors against the earthtoned grass was so appealing. Might try doing something like that at the center next year if all goes well with plantings in the spring.

bettydee, I received Sunset National Garden Book today in the library through a statewide library loan program. Awsome! I can only keep it to Nov 3rd, but that should get me started. I often will borrow a book from one of Ohio's libraries to see if I want to own it. If I do, then I go searching for a copy. This one looks like one I should own. Thanks for the reference to it!