Here are ten of my favorite perennial plants for shady areas (USDA hardiness zones 4-7). All prosper in 1-2  hours of early morning sunlight and in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil.  Mulch to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

Astilbe chinensis

Fairy Wings (Epimedium)

Hosta – unquestionably the shade favorite of  U.S. gardeners.  A low maintenance plant that returns every spring with lush beautiful foliage and white or purple trumpet-like flowers.  Choose from over 35,000 registered cultivars of different leaf shapes, variegations, sizes and textures.  Select those that are proven performers in your region. Blue leaf types grow best in moderate shade.

Chinese Astilbe – colorful feathery plumes in summer and lacy, fern-like foliage.  Flower colors range from white to dark purple depending upon the species. Astilbes are at their best in a shady area that receives 2-3 morning sunlight and adequate soil moisture.

Assorted Ferns – six choices to start planting: Autumn fern (evergreen), Christmas fern (evergreen), Japanese painted fern, Lady fern, Royal fern, and Northern maidenhair.

Variegated Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum odoratum Variegatum) – pendulous, white, bell-shaped flowers appear in pairs beneath arching stems in spring. Plants grow 1-2 feet tall and  blooms are slightly fragrant.

Heart shaped brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla) , aka Siberian bugloss, is a rhizomatous, clump-forming perennial with attractive heart-shaped mottled green foliage and airy light blue forget-me-not-like flower heads. Leading cultivars are ‘Jack Frost’, ‘Sea Heart’, and ‘Looking Glass’.

Fairy Wings (Epimedium spp.) aka bishop’s hat, spread via shallow underground rhizomes; plants spread slowly form close-knit colonies. Tiny flowers rise through last year’s foliage, before emergence of new spring foliage. Some epimediums have evergreen foliage.

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) – clump-forming perennial that spreads rapidly by runners (stolons) to form dense, 1-2 feet wide clumps of foliage. Semi-glossy, heart-shaped, 3-5 lobed leaves (4 inches across) develop directly from stolons. Foliage is evergreen where winters are mild, otherwise turning reddish bronze in autumn and winter.

Old-fashioned Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) – Asian species and hybrids produce larger and showier flowers. Irrigating plants during dry spells keeps them looking good with repeat bloom.

Bigroot Geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum), aka cranesbill – vigorous ground cover filled with magenta-pink flowers that are conspicuously red veined in spring; develops into a dense leafy mat; foliage turns red in fall. Leading cultivar is ‘Bevan’s Variety’.

Bugbane (Actae racemosa) aka black cohosh, grows 4-6 feet (foliage + flowering spikes). Numerous small creamy white fragrant flowers on wiry stems rise well above the foliage in mid-summer.

Painted fern and bleeding heart (L. exima)