We have a row of "inherited" cardinal shrubs growing (badly) on the south side of our house -- they're the ones with the red, somewhat tubular flowers that bloom in early summer. Anyway -- they're obviously not happy and look awful, so we want to dig them up and plant something else.

Any suggestions for non-bramble fruit that might grow there? This particular space is shaded somewhat on the west side but gets a decent amount of southern exposure sun. The ground is very dry. I'm thinking of something that only grows about 5 feet tall, or that can live happily pruned to that height.

Might blueberries do well here? Is there a variety whose habit might make it a nice foundation shrub? Any other more exotic choices that might be fun to grow? Obviously we want the foliage to be attractive, which is why I thought of blueberries.