Want some small shrubs

Ask a local garden centre if you have one. Ours specialises in plants and varieties which grow well in our area.
I have never grown Daphne or Hydrangea successfully.
Check out other peoples gardens nearby if you can safely do that during lockdown.

tinaf1 … consider putting some spring bulbs underneath the shrubs. It's amazing how they add some interest.
Or summer flowering Lilies, taller than the shrubs maybe. Either are not much trouble.

How about lavender? I have a lavender hedge, just needs cutting back after flowering? Drought tolerant and bees love it.

I have some lovely dwarf conifers in a rock garden. They have stayed small for many years and one was a nice small, dense rounded shape but a rapidly growing Christmas tree has shot up from the centre of it. I should chop it down.

Beware of conifers.

Are daphnes easy to keep?

I have two of the very ordinary daphne odora. They must be at least 15 years old, if not older. One struggles a bit as it's in a container so it's never grown very big. The other is less restricted, it's about 24 inches high and 30 -36 inches wide. I've never done a thing to it... I would imagine that a bit of pruning every few years would keep it a bit smaller if that's what you wanted. I'm sure there are even better varieties available, mine is, as I said, very ordinary. But it's nice. I'm fond of it.

Wwmk2's suggestion is excellent; investigate varieties and sizes.

That hydrangea looks pretty good, too

If you go on line to say Crocus - garden centre you can spend hours choosing what you fancy and can see colours size and season of interest.

I would go for hardy Fuschia, or if you want evergreen, a small variety of Hydrangea (Runaway Bride is spectacular).

Thanks for the reply’s MaizieD have some hebes in other parts of the garden and was thinking of daphnes they look lovely are the easy to keep?

If you have acidic soil, a small azalea would be lovely in Spring?

Are there any small hebes? They have a big variety of leaf size, colour and flower and most of them grow in a nice rounded shape. Evergreen, too.

Or a daphne, slow growing, well shaped, evergreen and wonderful scented flowers in the spring

www.thompson-morgan.com/p/daphne-fragrance-collection/t82000pTM

I have clay soil (acid) and they grow fine for me.

You could have very small rhododendrons or heathers?

WWmark2 The soil is quite good and I have dug it over a few times to make sure there are no roots left from the previous plants.
Have also added some all purpose compost peat to enrich it. Rhododendrons do quite well In back garden so I suppose that means it’s acidic. The spot itself gets a lot of sun in the afternoon.

What type of soil do you have?

The weather may play a part if you live north or in a cold spot.