Black cohosh does very well for me. I don't know about the source of your plants, I usually get mine on plant rescues so they are good hardy stock. On the other hand, I bought BLUE cohosh and it has not done very well. I think that blue cohosh is not native to this area.

I am growing Aruncus (goatsbeard) for the first time. It looks good, but the foliage is so similar to black cohosh that I'd have a hard time telling them apart when they are not flowering.

Ebony spleenwort is a nice fern that is quite upright in appearance (some might consider it spiky).

{{gwi:822070}}

Wasn't there an earlier thread on this topic here? You might want to look for that post.

I have ligularia - but it's Othello, not the rocket - and it does well for me. Everyone who comes through the side yard comments on it. This is its fourth year in the garden and even in this drought it's doing well. The secret, as far as I can tell, is to keep it in soil that never really dries out. I have a spot like that. However, because it is not the rocket, it's not spikey either. Don't know how the rocket does here.