I hate for this to degenerate into an argument but the listing of ferns for dry shade I presented is not limited to the PNW - it came from research into various species of ferns that were adaptable to quite dry conditions and from Ferns for American Gardens by John Mickel, which I consider the 'bible' for fern growing :-) And I'd also like to point out that much of this country has a very incorrect impression of the dampness of the PNW. Most of this area experiences a much lower annual rainfall than most of the east coast and many parts of the midwest - the rainy season just tends to extend from midfall into early summer but at a very light rate (usually). And this is considered a recurring summer drought area, often experiencing NO measurable rainfall from midsummer until late fall. Add to that our dry shade here tends to be provided by the large native conifers that grow everywhere and dry shade under a 60' western red cedar is equal to or exceeds any other dry shade you could manufacture! Even in the middle of winter at the height of the rainy season, this is an area that can remain bone dry. All of the listed ferns will succeed under these conditions once properly established.

Euonymous fortunei (some). Itea ilicifolia Podocarpus macrophyllus Viburnum burkwoodii Viburnum macrocephalum Viburnum plicatum plicatum These are all recommended for espalier by Sunset Western Garden Book and are for part shade. Should do ok in shade however. You'll have to look up the water needs. I may suspect you should stay away from Euonymous because it develops aphid problems under stress, e.g. shade/possibly drought. Dax

I'm not sure which geranium you are referring to as cranesbill is a common name sometime used for any geranium. Some need sun to bloom, some are not so drought tolerant. I think the best one for dry shade is geranium macrorrhizum (there are several varietys -- all good). This is a vigorous geranium and very tolerant of almost any conditions.

I highly recommend that you plant geranium macrorrhizum. It is the PERFECT perennial for your situation, bar none. Here in Wisconsin they are NEARLY evergreen, meaning it will be the first area that looks nice, and it will be awesome up until snow cover. Most importantly, it takes away all of the problems with tree roots. I once had mature silver maples along my front yard. The grass grew just fine. I tore up the grass and created a long border along the front of my house. 90% of the plants were hostas. They grew happily. About 8 years later, I noticed my hostas were getting smaller, and the next year, smaller still. I dug them up to see what could be the matter....the hostas were entangled in masses of maple tree hairy roots. I had to tear out the entire garden....but luckily, I already knew about and had plenty of geranium macrorrhizum to cure the problem. It was lush and completely full 2 growing seasons later....and it looked great, in the first year, too. 1) Epimedium would probably work, but they are slow and very expensive. (Geranium macrorrhizum is VERY fast, yet not invasive.) 2.) I do not think pachysandra will work. In my experience, it might stay ALIVE in dry shade, but it will not like it and it won't flourish. For EASE...you can make each macrorrhizum plant that you purchase literally triple itself the following year. 80% of the plant lives above the soil, including a rootlet that's ready to go. So, once your plants have rooted. Simply put your hand down in and pull of a leaflet section...it will have everything on it that it needs to grow a new plant. Just scrape some soil on the surface and put the rootlet underground. The leaves may balk and wilt but give it some water and in about 2-3 weeks, you'll see a baby emerge...at that point, you can cut off any of the old foliage that wilted. 4) You can mow down/sheer/weed wack macrorrhizum after it blooms in early June. It'll put out a nice new set of leaves and be all the more tidy. 5) One site online that has a lot of choices is Lazy S Farm. (I am not affiliated.) I think the more fuchsia flowering color is prettier than the pale and white ones, but that's personal. I've heard they are faster growing, too. If you like the darker pink, go for Ingwersen's or Bevan's Variety. 6) google this (the words between the quotes): "a way to garden the toughest groundcovers I rely on" After you do, you'll find a wonderful blog about ground covers and see beautiful pics of the plant we are talking about...she has it lining both sides of the lawn. The reason she can afford to have so much, is because of what I explained in #3 above...it's the easiest plant in the world to spread where you want it, yet it does not go to seed and cause you a mess where you do not want it. Good luck! M