Jo Ann opened my eyes in a ID post here about a Coreopsis Sienna Sunset.
The thread "ID Anyone" in Perennials forum

So I come to you all if you have a driveway bed that you have plants that you find do well in this situation. I would appreciate suggestions.

I purchased this house 4 years ago. I have piled homemade compost, manure, topsoil, and everything I can think of trying to improve the soil. It is the first thing you see as you enter the property.

Most things I plant if it survives looks like it is going to die any moment.

So I come to you all for suggestions.

Here are seasons pictures of what does survive.

After the snow melts and early Spring.


Bluebells and the Smoke tree are the stars in Spring and they seem to be doing good.


Summer the best I can get is Iris, and a few daylily, fairy rose, gerainium, coral bell that seem to not bloom good and this is a very sunny hot bed.

That really pretty
You could add some Tall sedum for fall color. There are nice dark leaved ones that would be a repeat of the dark leaves of the smoke bush and heuchera. s. Purple Emperor, s. Choc. Drop.
What about the variegated Iris, I think called pallida. Has lavender blooms and the foliage is nice all summer.

I like the idea of sedum, and don't they have some earlier blooming sedum, springcolor, that would go?

If you like yellow I have had such good luck with Belamcanda Hello Yellow this year, it's been a reblooming fool.

I also think some more iris, maybe earlier ones, and the pallida, like springcolor suggested would be nice.

Polly, I have never seen any with earlier bloom on the taller ones.
What about Persicaria 'Red Dragon' grows about 5' tall. Mine never spreads been in the ground 5 years.

I don't know if this helps or not, but in the early spring my trees are bear and there is plenty of sun for Daffodils and Tulips and when they begin to fade the Hostas come up and cover them. I also like the monkey grass ( Liriope muscari) and a few Helleborus.
I love your driveway, the stones are great and would really look awesome with some Hostas dotted around. Also they got those dwarf tulips and Iris. I wonder if they would do good there?
I can tell you a few good drought resistant Hostas if you cannot get a hose out there, like Grand Tiara and Golden Tiara.

When I saw the stones I thought of Dwarf Bearded iris.The leaves stay smaller than TBI. Tuck some behind the stone right in front.The dwarfs bloom in early May here.

I am not an expert but my Persicaria does best in a part shade area.
I also had the thought that you might have a smaller variety of heucheras and thats why they are not bigger.

We moved here 5 years ago and did the same with soil here and continue to compost.Last fall we spread 5 yards of leaf compost on all gardens.It sure makes a difference.
I concluded ,soil additives will be necessary here on a every 2 year basis as well as adding compost when planting individual plants.

In full sun some Ice Plants might do well , just make sure to add a good amount of sand to area where they are planted.