try astilbe, and some fern, ghost and jap painted, but goats beard would work great, also cimicifuga (actea) is a really cool shade perennial

They are definitely shade lovers but you would probably have to place them behind the hostas or else you might "lose" the hostas. These get to be big guys--mine is 'Zweiweltenkind' and is about 3-4 ft tall. As mentioned, astilbe would give you a similarly textured leaf but stay shorter.

These are bad pics, but the only ones I have of the goatsbeard in bloom. The first shows three goatsbeard with iris foliage in between as I was revamping the bed (it now shares space with everything from ligularia to canna lilies):

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The second shows just the goatsbeard flowers, with rhododendron leaves behind and garlic (yup, I said garlic) to the side:

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Blackswamp: It's gorgeous! I have astilbe, but my problem is that I have most of my garden on berms and because the top of the berm doesn't hold the water Astilbe needs, I can only grow it at the bottom where it will get the water it needs. I guess I should have asked if Goatsbeard requires as much water as Astilbe. I need to fill in behind the hosta, which means closer to the top of the 'hills'.

Jnap: I tried Cimicifuga - it was just too dry - required constant watering - it didn't make it. I have japanese painted fern down in the bottom where it's wetter, but I really need the height - almost wish I could find a shrub or some kind of evergreen to block out the view over the top of the berm - lots of traffic I want to hide, too.

How long does the Goatsbeard bloom? It's beautiful. And it's the size I need to fill in all the blank space where nothing will grow except pachysandra - I need the height in the back of the border, but the back of the border is the top of the hill!

Thanks for the pics - love it.

Westy

The white astilbes I have don't last very long and the spent plumes are brown. They are gone in about 1 week vs. some other astilbe that hold color much longer. I just got some of the dwarf goatsbeard from Bluestone - they are very tiny but cute. I like white variegated foliage like Pulmonaria Reginald Kaye, Hosta Patriot and Minuteman, Carex Ice Dance, Variegated Liriope, Brunnera Looking Glass, Variegated Solomons Seal, variegated Euonymous

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You ask for the Bottlebrush Buckeye picture?
You got it.
Do you have a 20' in diameter free real estate?
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OMG! Ego45 - I didn't know it would get that big? How old is it? Can it be easily pruned? This is exactly what I need to block off the view of traffic at the top of the berms. But it is drier up there (naturally) so anything I plant must be able to put up with less water. The astilbe grows great at the bottom of the berm. But I have so much space that I want to cover and I want a screen. That thing is absolutely GORGEOUS! Now I want that plus Goatsbeard.

Alyrics - your garden is gorgeous! I, too, want only white in my garden - I cannot tolerate color! Love texture, too. I think I've seen you post that pic in another forum recently - and I love it. Love the walk, too. Does Goatsbeard bloom all summer? Does it require a lot of water? And thank you for the list of options - I'm checking them all out this weekend!!!

Westy

Ego - that is a beautiful Bottlebrush buckeye - what kind of conditions is it growing under? I've heard that they will tolerate dry shade.

Westy - you've really piqued my curiousity with the comment that you "cannot tolerate color"? If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean?

Ego45 - that is absolutely stupendous. I love A. parviflora. How old is it and how much water/sun? Of course keeping one like that going is a different story than getting them started.

There is one that size at Holden Arboretum and I am just totally in love with it. I make a point of visiting it in the summertime when in bloom - prob my favorite single plant in the whole arboretum. I've inquired at several nurseries around here and told I can get a 1 or 2 gallon plant for about $50 and they say its slow growing. I have a very large area that I wanted to surround with it and hide the area from the road, and have a long curved bench in the middle. I was thinking of starting burning bush as a fast grower to allow the Aesculus to fill in. Can always rip out the Euonymous later.

Westy - That goatsbeard lasts maybe a month. Then the plumes do turn brown. The plant is very pretty though - nice leaves. If I get a lot of rain during blooming it will cause the plumes to lean but I don't bother tying it up. A benefit for me is it appears to be deer resistant - they don't touch it at all.

I love color, its just this path is devoted to hosta, ferns, azaleas, columbine, leucoethoe, rhodos, etc. It seems that a lot of shade plants have white flowers. A big exception are the lobelias and they are just terrific

Butting in here to offer fern suggestion: Some of the lady ferns are taller (my Lady in Red get about 18-24") and once established will tolerate drier soil than other ferns.

Alyrics - LOVE that bed! It looks so peaceful and calming. :)

Ego - Gorgeous bottlebrush buckeye :)

Another suggestion for your bed would be Wild Oat grass (Chasmanthium). Foliage is reminiscent of bamboo (is not the typical "grassy" foliage at all), does well in shadier locations and once established will tolerate drier soil. I have clumps growing under a maple tree (!) and they are thriving.

Pictured BB is not mine and I don't know many particulars about it, but when 9 years ago we moved to the town it was already there and I guess was already well established. It was planted as a lawn shrub with some hydrangeas 6-7' off of its center, but hydrangeas got swamped long time ago.
It's practicaly in full sun with some protection from the mid-day sun from the South and get some water when lawn is watered, but I think that in this stage of its life it's pretty much self-sufficient.
My own BB was planted in summer of'04 as an already decent size shrub.
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It didn't put a meaningfull growth in 2004-5, but really took off in a 2006. I had to move it in a spring of 2007 and it didn't blink for a second. Right now it's at least 8'x10' and just started to bloom. It's in a fairly shady part-shade.

They are not slow growers, they are just slow to establish.

I have only ever given my goatsbeard supplemental watering when I have transplanted them. Even during this summer's drought I have not watered them and they seem just fine. In comparison, my established cimicifuga ('Hillside Black Beauty') was nearly horizontal when I came from work one day 2-3 weeks ago and I had to start giving it some supplemental watering. These are on the east side of my house, so they do get some sun in the morning until about 1pm. If yours would get no sun, I would think that they would need less water, even, than mine.

Mine bloom for about 3 weeks. In the second picture you can see the flowers just starting to turn tan on the insides. Some flowers turn tan, and others turn more like a dry light green color (that makes sense when you see them) but that may be because I have both male and female plants? I sometimes cut back the spent flowers, but other times I leave them and let the orangey colors in the red of the bed pick up the tan. Pretty either way, IMHO.

alyrics, you must live near me... you caught my attention with "Holden Arboretum!" I'm in Lakewood, but I assume you're probably on the east side since you visit Holden often? Have you been out to see the trains there yet? I keep wondering if it's worth the drive...

Terrene: Re color - I mean that I can't stand lots of flowers that are colorful - especially red and orange - I'm the same way with decorating in the house. Everything is subtle. I was an interior decorator before I retired. My preference in the garden is lots of texture - I also collect hostas - over 300 now. My garden is only lit up with white flowers. I plant wax begonia with white flowers as annuals and have jacobs ladder with white/green leaves, white astilbe, white moonflower - it lights up the garden at dusk and after dark with lights on. I use lots of coleus in planters - it's colorful but not like flowers. Purples, chartreuse, etc. in the windowboxes. It's very pretty to me - peaceful and serene.

Ego45 - your own BB is gorgeous. I'm glad you told me how old the 'monster' is. I'll be 95 by the time I have one like that! Where are you in CT? My neice is in Ridgefield and her weather is so much better than Chicagoland for gardening - but she doesn't garden - little ones! I usually do her planting. Such a pretty area.

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions and pics. I'm keeping everything for my folder - you're such a help!

Westy

Ego thanks for the info on the Bottlebrush - that gives me some hope that I can establish a nice stand of it.

Hi Blackswampgirl - where'd you get that handle in Ohio?! funny.
I do live in the area and have seen the train exhibit at Holden. It's pretty cool, esp if you like trains. The detail is marvelous. But for me the attraction is more in the plant collections. I don't get out there as often as I used to when they were more active with classes. I hope the the Cleveland Botanical Garden will offer more educational programs this winter. Email me offlist if you want.