Hi I have experince with shade! hosta is a must though it's tricky from seed. Geraniums (perreniall) are ok although the perfer part sun. Ligularia is a winner coral bells are too. lungwort is one of my faviortes as is solomons seal turtleheads are good for part shade. I hope this gives you some ideas. one more thing put a bench in you'll thank me come summer.

LOL. You've been bushwacked, seedmama! :-D

Some suggestions: bleeding heart, hosta, hydrangea, periwinkle, pachysandra, ferns, daffs, balloon flower, impatiens, begonias, coral bells, fuchsia, coleus... Me, I'd have to plant some trees to get that nice shade! Lucky you! What a great project you've got there. :-)
Kris

This is what I have for my mostly shady garden. I have had decent luck with flowers that say they are full sun, they just don't get as big, but they do bloom and do ok. My garden up against a north facing wall, not much direct sun at all! These are all ok for part shade and will do well for me. Although, you don't say how much shade you actually have back there, is it dappled shade? Dense shade?

Achillia millefolium, Yarrow
Balloon Flower, Platycodon grandiflora (any Balloon flower)
Campanula carpatica, Blue Clips (any Campanula)
Candytuft Snowflake
Centaurea Montana, Mountain Bluet
Columbines
Dianthus, Rainbow Loveliness
Evening Primrose
Forget-Me-Not Annual Firmament
Forget-Me-Not, Victoria Rose
Giallardia aristata, Blanketflower
Hibiscus moschatus
Jasoine perennis, Sheep's Bit Scabious
Lupine, Russell's Hybrid
Monarda didyma "Bee Balm", Panorama Mix
Monarda didyma, Blue Stocking
Pulsatilla Red Cloak
Violas

Kiddo just provided my list and then some. :)

Congratulations on the new beds.

Seedmama
I have nothing but shade. You can check my "have and wants" list- everything there will grow in shade. Sure your zone shade may be not the same as mine and depending how much clearance your trees have you might be dealing with different degree of shade in many places- that is why we keep shovel...
I am about to toss out my leftover seeds but can possibly scrounge up few to send your way if you want to jump start this year.
Good husband, keep him! LOL

What a great thread! (And what a great hubby, seedmama!)
On the north side of the house (heavy shade) that I've been thinking of putting a small bed in, and my research has given me this list (* the one's I want to try):
Impatiens *
Begonia*
Hardy geranium *
Lenten Rose (Helleborus x hybridus) *
Ferns*
Bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis)*

Others that are supposed to be good in full shade:
Solomon's seal
Hostas
Ginseng (hah!)
Ivy
Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Jack-in-the pulpit
Pitcher plant
Moss
Privet

Now I will add the other suggestions to my list too!

I've go a shade area that I've devoted to hosts and ferns. I has a few bleeding hearts too.
The nice thing about hostas is there are so many different varieties and textures you CAN do a whole garden with just them. Go check out the hosta site on Gardenweb. Look at the post with the alphabet letters and you will be hooked.

{{gwi:356877}}

Seedmama,here is a picture of my shade,you have a great hubby,he sounds like mine. :0)I do have more,if you wanna see them.
cAROL

cAROL *whimper*

Nice picture! I thought ballon flower was a full sun plant?

DO NOT - repeat - DO NOT go over to the Hosta Forum and look for the alphabet posts! It will be beyond addicting ...

(I just came from there and I'm going back. Good thing the laundry's done ...)

PV

Daylilyfanatic, the balloon flowers I have are part shade. I had some up against a north facing wall in mostly shaded area and they did very well. I sowed 3 different types to go back there this year.

Yes indeed, kiddo, I've been bushwacked. Great lists! I don't recognize everything, so I can see I have my research cut out for me.

Daylily, a bench is a great idea. At first when I read it I thought potting bench, and I was scratching my head. This just illustrates how my brain is wired for work, and not for rest. I really should rest more often.

Nancy, I really don't know at this point how much shade. The trees are all deciduous, so right now it looks like sun. My guess is I'll have dappled shade and full shade, but no deep shade. These areas are all related to the ice storm that struck in December '07. We lost over thirty trees. I was devastated by the loss at the time, but tried to see it as an opportunity to creat more shade beds. That being said I was expecting at the time, old and no lifting allowed. So the areas were neglected. Ma Nature doesn't like unplanted ground, so I'm sure it's the new openings amongst the trees that encouraged all the scrub to take off.

Thanks for the list. There are several things there (gaillardia, yarrow, mondarda, candytuft) that I've always thought of as full sun, so it's good to know I can use them in shade too.

Aj, you're right, he's a great husband. So is your list. Thanks for the suggestions.

carol, I recognize hosta and fern, but bleeding heart is new to me. I fear for what may happen if I go to the hosta forum.

so cAROL, how is it you came to live in a botanical garden? Absolutely gorgeous. I want to sign up. And yes, I'd like to see more photos.

pvick, you know you've just added to my temptation. My laundry's NOT done, and neither is the baby's birthday cake. Do you think as an adult looking at photos he would notice there was no cake for his 1st birthday? Oh gosh, I'm starting to sound like docmom! I thought I was over being enabled.

Token, thanks for the congrats, but I'm still too much in shock to absorb this. I've now surveyed the area, and while the soil is decent I can't say the beds are "prepped". I've got my work cut out for me.

Got mosquitoes? Plant pennyroyal in pots all around the area. It's a mint, so I wouldn't advise planting it in the ground. It's especially helpful if you do put some chairs out. I'd say make it a lounging area rather than a formal, upright area.

Shredded leaves, leaves, and more leaves.

Most everything in my yard is in at least part shade. I like alchemilla mollis (Lady's mantle). My campanulas do pretty well, too - I have peach-leaved, Elizabeth (or Cherry Bells, not sure which - it's one of the "red" ones), and Scottish bluebells (small). Heucheras are great and easy to start from seed, and coleus you can spring sow and have lots of foliage variation. I think there may be a shade plants list in the FAQs, too.

cAROL your Hosta Garden is absolutely lovely. It's exactly what I aspire to do to mine.

seedmama bleeding hearts are hardy and will do well in both shade and semi shade. They come in pink and white and have lovely fern like foilage. The biggest plus is they fill in fairly quickly.

Seedmama, you've been blessed! When I bought my house 10 years ago, one side was under the dappled shade of an ancient cherry tree. I wanted sun, sun, sun! I made the most of it, carved out three shade gardens and used hardscaping to accentuate the three. Over the years I've had luck with hostas, all types of ferns, bleeding heart, some wonderful groundcovers (ginger, woodruff, vinca), trilliums, monkshood, heucheras and others. Don't forget the spring bulbs! Grape hyacinths, snowdrop--even miniature iris.

I added a piece of garden statuary and the place is beautiful. I call it my woodland garden--it's where everybody wants to hang out on hot afternoons and warm evenings.

Seedmama: "So the areas were neglected. Ma Nature doesn't like unplanted ground, so I'm sure it's the new openings amongst the trees that encouraged all the scrub to take off."

If the area had a lot of weeds, that's a good sign, even if it did create more work! It means that it does get enough light to grow flowers in! You should have good luck with pretty much anything on my list.

Wow seedmama you are one lucky woman. I would absolutely drop dead from a heart attack if my DH created a bed for me!

He{{gwi:356878}}re are a couple more,i hope you enjoy them,{{gwi:356880}}a/HostaFolder028.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">href="http://s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk186/just1morehosta/?action=view¤t=HostaFolder043.jpg"; target="_blank">{{gwi:347852}}

I am not real good at posting pictures,i hope these are ok.
cAROL

I didn't see heuchera up there, add it at once. Please.
I have one plant and am trying to grow many more this year. So much pretty. Oh and I have a black eyed susan that has grown through the spring water over it's head and managed to bloom in the shade. If you want I'll put some seed aside for you.

Well 1st thing I'd do is fill it with Spring flowering bulbs.( At the right time of course) If it's all under deciduous trees they'll bloom.
Then I'd go see the shade forum.

I have a similar area I need to cover to. good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: the shade forum.

One I didn't see mentioned is tiarella. We enjoy it in our shade garden along with native ferns, Japanese painted ferns, hostas, woodland ginger, heuchera, astilbe, primrose, wild Indian plum, Jacob's Ladder, bugbane, lamium. Hydrangeas grow along the dappled border. There is also a little woodland creeping violet that can become invasive in some areas, but it's nice to see blooming under the other stuff. I know there are a lot more than that, but can't think of the names right now. We have an iris that likes shade - I think it might be a Pacific Coast iris, but I'm not sure about that.

I agree what a great guy! Don't panic take your time w/ the new gardens. Just relax and start planting 1 area at a time have fun! t The bench sounds like a great start a nice sitting area for coffee in morning and a little something more in the early evening!! How nice to come home to all that work done especially for you.

cAROL your gardens are awesome! How often do you have to devide the hosta? I got 10 packets of diff. hosta seeds from Moa (sase offer thank you) and I'm going to try ws them this year any advice? e-mail if any please don't want to take up the thread.