Try impatients. They have to be watered daily, but I find they do well in my front yard which is mostly shade and they add a lot of color.

Ferns, ferns and more ferns!

Indigo, do a search here on the shade forum - just type in "shade plants" - and I think you'll be surprised at what can be grown in the shade.

Hostas, astilbe, lobelia, lamium, ajuga, ferns, japanese anemones, foxgloves, columbine, tiarella, heuchera, hecherella, bleeding hearts, lady's mantle, violas, trycirtis, azalea, rhododendron, hydrangea.

This is off the top of my head, but I'm sure you'll find more suggestions. Shade gardens can be gorgeous, so don't despair!

Good luck!
:)
Dee

Indigo your itty bitty yard can be a real jewel, shade gardens are some of the most beautiful ones and small ones are simply charming. There are literally thousands of different hostas on the market now, if you pop over to the Hosta Forum you will meet a bunch of nice people who are crazed over hostas (I'm one too). DiggerDee gave you a list of some of the perennials you can grow in the shade. you can also try liriope, cimicifuga, monkshood, aruncus, hardy begonia, ginger, ligularia, sweet woodruff, black mondo grass, epimedium, pulmonaria, these all grow well for me in my shady yard.

Indigo, I'd add Solomon's Seal to the list. I was daunted by my shade garden at first, too, but now I love it. I have a variety of the mentioned plants. And you'll find that the weeds don't germinate or grow as fast, so there's much less maintenance than in the sunny sites!