Probably Ligularia. Ginger, Asarum, won't have the serrated leaves. Here is a link that might be useful:

Ask me again in the Fall, David, and I might be able to help! Oddly enough, Asclepias purpurescens was an interesting sounding item that leaped off the page of my Rare Find Nursery catalog. . .since it's a local nursery, I had the distinct advantage of being able to ask them about it. . .and they repeated what their listing stated: "Very tolerant of a wide variety of soils and light levels, it is easy to grow." So I ordered one - now comes the test ! Incidentally, if you like milkweeds (I certainly do!), they have another variety, Asclepias exaltata, which takes some shade and the inflorescenses resemble an overhead fireworks display. . .feeble description: check the link below. . . Carl Here is a link that might be useful: Rare Find Nursery

I'm especially glad to have rain in my garden! :) GaAlan, that is gorgeous! It must be especially welcome in a gray landscape like today's. The foliage on my thunbergias was for a few days a significantly less vibrant (but still very pretty) version. I do have to try some Sparkleberries where they can be seen from the house with sun behind them; I saw a picture yesterday of a well-tended pair that had me hyperventilating. Georgia Rose, I've planted some spring-blooming spireas that show no signs of being invasive--VanHoutte, Reeves, and thunbergia. Our neighbors across the street, however, do have a very upright bridalwreath-type one that does seed about pretty lavishly; I don't know what species. I love the ones I have, though. On strolling about the other day, I found another glad-to-have: a compact form of winter honeysuckle, Lonicera purpusii. It won't be blooming for another few weeks, but I'm glad now because, even thoug deciduous here, it's still green in a gray landscape (surprisingly with our drop to 8 degrees). Actually dots of green--a grader last August mistook my directions and scraped my nice clump away, burying the whole thing under a foot and a half of earth. I dug and dragged it back out (NOT easy!), hurriedly sawed the root ball apart into a number of pieces, and shoved them in shallow holes I scraped in baking soil. Today they're all alive, scrawny tattered relics of their former self, but this time next year the bigger ones should (almost) be handsome arching (green) mounds once again, getting ready to cover themselves with fragrant winter flowers.

Goodness Grows over in Lexignton, GA - east of Athens - sells persicaria, but I think it needs more sun than it will get in your shady spot. If your soil drains well, try gallium odoratum - sweet woodruff - for a ground cover. Very delicate and beautiful all summer. Others that do well in shade are lamium - it can look great with hostas. If the area gets a little sun or if it's filtered shade, try thalictrum kusianum for ground cover. I know Niche Gardens in NC has it - don't know who else. I also like woodland phlox - phlox divaricata - nothing prettier in spring, but mine tends to go dormant when it gets as hot as it is right now in Atlanta. Might not do that in the north GA mountains - you'd have to check. Also, GINGER. Ginger is evergreen, beautiful, everything goes with it - far as I know, you can't kill it. I know Goodness Grows has a good ginger selection so you can find it there. All of these are green, so if you want a different color how about strawberry begonia? Their leaves are variagated and the undersides are pinkish. The only other thing I can think of is myosotis - mine are usually covered with blue flowers from spring until the bad heat hits in July. And it spreads like crazy. Three little 4" pots that I planted in spring now cover about 5 square feet. But it's so tiny and close to the ground that it doesn't interfere with other plants. Again, on this one check how much sun it needs. I have it in one of my least shady spots. Hope you find something you like in this list. Can you tell I have nothing but shade to garden in?