Swamp Mallow???? Mine grew in mostly shade area (4 hrs sun maybe)had purple flowers and got about 2 feet tall and bloomed ALL summer last year with like 30 flowers on each plant at all times. They look great planted with Hosta right below/in front of it!

Maybe since you want color you need to look at annuals..and the ones you like you can collect seeds from and plant next year!

How much sun do you get in the area???

Try toad lilies, spider wort, balsams, unique impatiens like balfouri, talinum Jewels of Opar, leopard's bane, aruncus, astilbe, some campanulas, anemones, lilies, nicotiana,
But don't forget the foliage plants- Hosta of course, ferns, cimicufuga, ligularia, soloman's seal, heuchera,
Really- there are so many to choose from!
Enjoy!

I'm with Julie,
If the area gets enough water, I would put in some shade loving perenials like Hosta and mix in some annuals for color. If it is really "shady" maybe you'd have to do coleus or something but I have grown quite a few plants on the shady side. Just make sure that the eaves or gutters don't prevent water from getting to the area or you will have to get out the hoses! I have some plantings along side a garden shed and didn't realize at first how dry it got there-- so I just help it along with hand watering.
Cheryl

Great ideas! The area gets sun from about 3 or 4 O'Clock on, so I wasn't sure if the true "shade-loving" plants would get fried or not.

Rdubow, is Swamp Mallow a type of Malva like Malva Moschata? If so, I'm Winter Sowing some of those. They'd be little this year, but worth a try in that area as well.

Hostas and hydrangea sound nice to me. Does it matter if the hydrangea flops? Cimicifuga and the tall meadow rues, like 'Lavender Mist' or 'Elin', give you height while staying narrow and upright. Grape-leaf anemone (Anemone tomentosa var Robitissima) has beautiful pink blooms in fall but does sprall a bit. For a low mound, maybe Lady's Mantle or brunnera would be nice. I'd also think about some creeping gound covers to knit everything together - ajuga, lamium or vinca?

Have fun - Ted

Some great ideas so far.

I'd also suggest a peony on one end just because they are so easy to care for and have such great blooms.

And maybe a trellis against the garage with a clematis?

And a bleeding heart near the walkway with lots of heucheras (I just adore their foliage.).

Thank you, everyone! I'm really excited about looking up all of the plants suggested. And, more importantly, getting my hands dirty! I'll also be making some beds around our new deck in the backyard. I feel more confident with sun-loving plants, though. The last of the snow in my yard just melted today....ah!

I mean't MALVA -SYLVESTRIS I believe is what I have! It is in the shade/part shade with hostas lining the back of the one of my gardens...it grows like 2-3 feet tall and blooms little purple flowers all over it from mid summer-late fall!I mean TONS penny size purpleand white flowers all over it!Not to mention, it reseeds its self prolifically!!!So it is a perennial here! I rarely watered mineand it did just perfect! It is for sure one of my favorites out there!!! I got minefrom Wagner's Greenhouse off Penn and 62 but you might be able to get seeds!

Another great idea- thanks! I'll look into that kind of Malva.