The east side of our house gets a little bit of morning sun, maybe 3-4 hours, and we would really like to plant something there and I was hoping for some good suggestions that people have tried. We live in the high desert so the plant would have to be able to tolerate temps as high as 100 and as low as 18. We can do a climber, a bush, really anything. It's our street facing side (more of a dirt road that sees around 30 cars a day) so we'd like something fairly attractive.
Sounds like a hard battle but I hope someone has tried and succeeded.
Thanks for any help...

Our temps match yours, and the oakleaf hydrangeas are really popular here. They like quite a bit of shade but don't seem to be bothered by the heat, once they are established.

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Thanks. That's a really pretty plant and i think it would do well in our soil. I'll see if our local guy here has some. We have room for maybe 6 good size plants and these seem like a good edge.

It was just the first plant that came to my mind. I bet others have many other great ideas.

Looks like a beautiful plant. I'm looking forward to what others have used and figuring out how to make a really attractive area there....one more project to add!

Unlike most plants, hydrangeas don't have the ability to close (or partially close) their breathing holes (stomata) when they run out of water. This means that if they wilt, they will wilt very quickly. While hydrangeas a great for shade, they will be a high maintenance plant in dry air, and I wouldn't think they would be very happy growing in dry desert conditions.

Sorry I can 't recommend anything for you, Joe. I am not that familiar with southern climates.

Rick, you must be confusing the other Hydrangea species (which don't do well for us for the reasons you specified) with the oakleaf variety. There's a reason why they are so popular in the south and southwest. So Joe, don't be discouraged by the post above this one.

I feel like i have seen the oak leafed ones in my area so maybe I'll take a walk and see if anyone living close by has any, good excuse to meet and chat with some neighbors. I read that they like well draining soil which is great for my area.

That's okay, then. The Oakleaf certainly is more tolerant of drought than any other hydrangea.

We'll just agree to disagree.

I'm really bad with plant id (my goal for this year is to get better with it, at least native plants in my area). This did give me the idea though to go around to the other people in my area and s look around at their plants that i like and see if the owners know what they are... maybe i could even get a cutting or something.