Hostas are always a good choice and there are so many of them! Using varieties with lots of yellow or white in the leaves gives “color” to the shade garden. They can can be divided each year to fill the area. Bleeding Heart - both white and pink heart-shaped flowers add a splash of color Astilbe - plumes of white or pink flowers add elegance in the spring

Sweet Woodruff - a nice spring ephemeral with abundant tiny white flowers and shiny green foliage Pulmonaria has stunning dark green leaves with white splotches and delicate flowers in spring

Ferns and mosses are a great choice for filling in shady areas with nice textures

Brunnera - this plant comes in many shades of silver, green, and gold, and adds lovely heart shaped leaves and texture to the shade garden.

Laminum - a wonderful groundcover that with silver foliage and small blue flowers