My back yard near the house is similar so I will be interested in what people have to say. Right now I have caladiums, bromeliads, African Iris (it blooms more in sun but I get blooms in the shade), varigated flax, mother in law tongue, peace lily, impatiens, ivy, ferns, coleus, pentas(where there is a little sun), oyster plant(grows anywhere), several different types of indoor-type plants I can't think of the name of right now, staghorn fern, a couple of orchids that I almost killed and am nursing back(hopefully), azaleas ... That's what comes to mind right now.

My southern side yard is in the shade due to oak trees and a fence. I have great luck with Lady Palms(raphis)bamboo palms, Zanadu Philodendrons, caladiums and holly fern.
I love the tropical look the lady and bamboo palms give the area, try them, you will love them both!

I have considerable shade in my front yard due to my big old oak tree and I like color, so I plant Jacobinias, Ti plants, Yellow Shrimp plants, Caladiums, Impatiens and for some contrast Jewels of Opar. If you want some greenery, Aspidistra or cast iron plant or peace lily. I have achemines planted under the oak that come back year after year and don't forget Coleus.

I have two suggestions for your shady focal point.

1. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Brunfelsia species) - Large shrub, up to 10-12 feet, will bloom in some shade. Flowers start purple and fade to white over 3 days. Awesome effect in the landscape.

2. Yellow Anise-Tree (Illicium parviflorum) - Large shrub or small tree, up to 15-20 feet, thrives in total shade, after flowering it produces the "star" seed pods just like the real star-anise. Leaves smell strongly of licorice when cut.

I've included a link below which has a pretty good list of plants that grow well in the shade. Hope it helps.

Good luck! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Shade Plants

also, hydrengeas, elephant ears, and gingers (come in all sizes), Hoyas, begonias and of course orchids. I found that white flowers really pop out of of the shade.

Evelyn

The cast iron plant mentioned about also comes in variegated, so it has a bit more color. ;o)

Thank you all for your many suggestions. I am mostly having trouble deciding on the larger "anchor" plants. I really like the Anise tree - I wonder if I can find one in this area. I am a great fan of anise - imagine Biscotti di Anisetti dipped in coffee. Yum!

I just love bamboo palms but I am not sure if they get very tall. I know that they stay relatively small when use as an interior plant.

Someone somewhere suggested a wax myrtle. I like the leaves but am not sure if it's "showy" enough. Any thoughts?

jerzeegirl wax myrtle grows wild here, grows fast, is cheap, and the leaves and berries are medicinal. It can be trimmed into a nice looking tree. HOWEVER, it gets alot of shoots from the roots all over the place that are firmly attached and difficult to remove and it is not a long-lived tree nor does it fare well in hurricanes. I have some growing wild in my back yard and some that I planted by the lot line for instant privacy 18 years ago, but most of those are gone.

I have a large shade garden under my oaks, and I grow so many different things, it's not funny! I've even grown a weeping hibiscus in the shade, and it did wonderfully well. I now have some of these, and more:

For a nice tree, my surinam cherry is in almost total shade, on the northeast corner, and partially under an oak and grows well, and fruits every year. It grows into a lovely evergreen small tree. Bees love the flowers, birds love the fruit.

Caricature Plant
Butterfly Ginger (in a bog)
Lizards Tail (in a bog)
Costus Barbatus
Heliconia Rostrata
Globbas (yellow)
Bleeding Heart clerodendrum
Too many bromeliads to name
Edible Ginger
Coral Bean
Cardamom
All sorts of cacti and succulents (in pots)
Philodendrons of all sorts
Night blooming cereus and other epiphyllums
Orchids
Coleus
Pine Cone Ginger
and many more I can't even remember right now.

Beautyberry!

Here is a link that might be useful: Beautyberry

Oakleaf hydrangea, camelias, split leaf philodendrum, shrimp plants (they tend to be leggy in the shade but they still bloom well), and rootbeer plant are a few that I can think of.

Here is a link that might be useful: oakleaf hydrangea