first... in MI .. i would not plant any conifer until fall ... to be most careful ... its been near 100 for three days running.. for you too??? that is not prime planting season ... i am sure you are well enough versed if you want to reduce your odds a bit.. and plant it anyway ... is this a score from the english gardens sale you were talking about??? its deciduous .. and in MI.. that means .. at best.. what.. a 6 month growing season ... i would be very careful about how much shade you place it in ... and now that i checked.. its not variegated.. so your base question is.. can a green plant take sun???? green is green.. whether its lime or grass green ... i thought you meant it had white in it ... and white tissue is the only one i would protect for ... you will also be dealing with whether it is ready for blinding sun ... hardened off ... if it were me.. i would put it in shade.. and leave it potted until about mid september ... and then plant it.. in full sun... which will be not as intense by then.. in full sun and let it leaf out next spring .. and get itself ready for next summer.. after two cool root growing seasons ... taxodium should be rather bulletproof in MI ... let me put it another way.. its a tree... due to grafting.. its been in pots for 2 to 4 years ... many such conifers are incredibly rootbound ... and require full bare rooting.. and root surgery ... AND I WOULD NOT DO THAT THIS TIME OF YEAR ... ken

The shield fern sounds like an excellent choice for a shady spot . If you read this link you will see why : http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FP189 Here is just a small sampling : This finely divided, dark green fern has a delicate appearance but is actually a very hardy survivor . Its slowly spreading habit and ability to tolerate neglect make it an ideal candidate for use as a groundcover. This underutilized plant is one of the few ferns to have seasonal color value; the fronds appearing reddish when young. It combines well with Mahonia fortuneii and Holly Fern for a mixed planting in a shady location. It will grow to about 18 inches tall with single plants spreading no more than 24 inches.

There are literally THOUSANDS of hostas. Some are more commercially available than others, so it's almost like you should set your price point and coloring requirement before you set your size requirement. Also, your growing conditions in Ontario might mean some hostas do better for you there vs. other areas. May I recommend that you pick up this book: http://www.timberpress.com/books/isbn.cfm/9780881928471 It's authored by the same people as "The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas" but this is much easier to carry with you! It certainly doesn't have all the varieties contained in the larger book, but is still a great reference. If you start shopping with this book in hand, you can look at plants with larger leaves where you like the coloring (and price) and then look 'em up in the book to find out their typical size as it matures. But, if you'd like my .02...I like Sagae Blue Angel Sum & Substance Sum of All and several others I just bought (and was able to see mature at a grower about 5 miles from me). Take a look at my thread "Look What I scored today"

Welcome to the world of gardening! You've gotten some good ideas. Here are a few other things to consider. For color Katie ruella is a good little border plant. It's a dwarf and comes in purple, pink and white and will bloom in just about any conditions. Mexican Oregano blooms almost year round in those same conditions for me. Texas Betony is good. I see you already have Mealy blue sage that seems to be liking it there. There are other sages to consider. Also ornamental grasses such as the purple fountain grass you already have. Some grasses grow nicely under trees such as inland sea oats for me For something with a little height consider some of the Texas native understory trees. I think Possomhaw holly does very well in the Houston area. It has bright red berries in fall and winter. Mexican red bud stays small for me and blooms heavily in the spring. Anacacho Orchid Tree is a lovely little white blooming understory tree that butterflies love. You may have to make your bed a little wider to accomadate all the nice things you'll find to grow there. Sorry I don't have any experience with Virginia sweetspire. Beauty berry might be nice in the corner. It gets very large here in San Antonio in full sun, but in part sun would be smaller. Check out some of the plants on the site linked below plus a local privately owned nursery would be able to make more suggestions. Also visiting a botanical center and seeing whats growing well in similar conditions that you have is very helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Natives of Texas