gardenia "Veitchii" sounds perfect. Just plant it about 2 1/2 or 3 feet from your house and throw coffe grounds on it every so often, don't bother amending the soil.

And there's always the ubiquitous star jasmine. :) I let mine grow wild, but they are easily pruned to shape.

Brenda

"Alaska" azalea?

Depends on what you mean by "some shade"

Julie

As Julie said, "Depends on what you mean by 'some shade'. But here's a start:

"Shrubs --

Azalea (Rhododendron) AZALEA
Camellia sasanqua 'Hana Jiman', 'Mine-No-Yuki', 'Narumi-gata' CAMELLIAS
Carpenteria californica BUSH ANEMONE
Hydrangea macrophylla HYDRANGEA
Loropetalum chinense ÂSnow Dance CHINESE FRINGE FLOWER
Michelia figo BANANA SHRUB
Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream' HEAVENLY BAMBOO
Osmanthus fragrans SWEET OLIVE
Pittosporum tobira 'Cream de Mint' JAPANESE MOCK ORANGE
Rhaphiolepis ovata YEDDO HAWTHORNE
Ribes sanguineum 'Album', 'Inverness', 'White Icicle' FLOWERING CURRANT
Ruscus aculeatus BUTCHERÂS BROOM
Sarcococca ruscifolia SWEET BOX

Ground Covers --

Ajuga reptans 'Alba' CARPET BUGLE
Fragaria chiloensis BEACH STRAWBERRY
Fragaria vesca californica CALIFORNIA WOODLAND STRAWBERRY
Satureja douglasii YERBA BUENA
Saxifraga stolonifera STRAWBERRY SAXIFRAGE
Sollya heterophyllus 'Alba' AUSTRALIAN BLUEBELL CREEPER
Sutera (Bacopa) cordifolia BACOPA
Trachelospermum jasminoides STAR JASMINE
Vinca minor 'Alba' DWARF TRAILING PERIWINKLE

Perennials --

Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' JAPANESE ANEMONE
Bletilla striata 'Alba' CHINESE GROUND ORCHID
Crinum moorei, x powellii CAPE LILY
Francoa ramosa* MAIDENÂS WREATH
Helleborus lividus LENTEN ROSE
Helleborus x stearnii HYBRID HELLEBORE
Trachelium caeruleum 'Album' BLUE THROATWORT
Viola odorata 'Charm' SWEET VIOLET
Zantedeschia aethiopica CALLALILY

Bulbs --

Cyclamen hederifolium HARDY CYCLAMEN, SOW BREAD
Cyclamen persicum CYCLAMEN

Annuals --
(select white varieties)

Begonia (su-f) BEDDING BEGONIA
Digitalis (sp-su) FOXGLOVE
Impatiens (su-f) IMPATIENS
Myosotis (sp-su) FORGET-ME-NOT
Primula malacoides (w-sp) FAIRY PRIMROSE
Primula obconica (w-sp) GERMAN PRIMROSE
Primula x polyantha (w-sp) ENGLISH PRIMROSE
Pericallis (Senecio) x hybridus (w-sp) CINERARIA

And why would you want to prune/trim/train?

Joe

Yes, we really need to know what you mean by "slightly shady" as well as how long during the day it is in shade and what time of day.

Here's some shrubs that come to my mind...

Raphiolepsis umbellata minor (dwarf yeddo hawthorn)
Raphiolepsis indica 'Clara' or another white cultivar
Hebe albicans (there are white flowered cultivars of other Hebe species as well)
Azaleas

From Joe's list, I really like Carpenteria californica, Bush Anemone. I just bought one and am also planting it near a front door with part sun, maybe 3-4 hours of late morning sun until about noon. It can take sun through shade, and does well with little care. They're pretty large flowers, and nice for brightening up a shady spot.

Or maybe a white abutilon if you want more of a calming effect. I love how the flowers hang gracefully, pointing downward.

Azaleas are very nice, too.

WOW thanks to all for the help

it is hard to describe shade in a post. looks like we have settled (for now) on a gardenia. we hve others and they are doing quite well in similiar shade. on the coffee ground I hve been doing that the past year with great results.

curious how fast do they grow?

once again thanks sfor the help

My gardeina has grown at a moderate pace, maybe 3 -5 inches/year (or is that considered slow?). I don't do anything except throw the coffee grounds on it a few times/year and have dug it up twice. It's been growing about three years, was a one gal size when I bought it and now it's about three feet wide and two feet tall.

Good luck and don't worry if it doesn't bloom right away.

I would second the star jasmine. It's always dependable.