You have a lot of options. It depends on what type of plant you're looking for. Hostas are wonderful for shade and they come in so many varieties nowadays. From light green and yellow leaves, to variegated, to dark blue-green. And they flower, which is a nice bonus.

Daylilies will work in your spot, since it will get some limited sun in the morning. I have daylilies all over my garden and they flower perfectly in the shade.

Spiderwort works well. Mine puts one big show on, then flowers a little bit the rest of the season.

Lily of the valley make an excellent ground cover. They spread easily, so watch out. They'll flower in late May or early June depending on the weather. Their scent is heavenly!

Sooo many other options for you. I have pictures of everything I mentioned on my site.

Here is a link that might be useful: My website

As per above, and also-Hydrangeas, hellebores, heucaura's(sp), ferns, solomons seal, azaleas, camillas, really there are so many things! Try to pick some tall things, medium and fill in with lower plants. Foliage is very important also and there are many to chose from to create interest. You can also use impations, and coleus as filler. Good luck!

Thanks so much for all those great ideas!! I don't feel quite so helpless now. :) If my next door neighbor's mulberry tree branches didn't hang down so far down in that area of my yard, I would have lots more sun and many more options. These people do nothing garden-wise and probably don't even realize what a damper that darn tree puts on my gardening ideas.

Leona

Don't look at it as a damper, look at it as an opportunity! Gardening with shade is wonderful - there are many, many plants that will grow and perform best in partial to full shade and personally, I find most of them to be much more interesting and attractive than those that require mostly sun. A shade garden can be a very lush and soothing sanctuary in a hot summer climate.

Understanding what type of shade you have, the soil conditions and moisture availabilty and what plants will thrive in the existing conditions will improve your success immeasurably. That's not to say you can't adapt or alter these conditions for specific plants, but you need to know what you are working with.

Look for "The Complete Shade Gardener" by George Schenck and "The Natural Shade Garden" by Ken Druse at your library or book store. These are both excellent books that will offer lots of ideas and suggestions for successful shade gardening and both are filled with very inspirational and beautiful photos, too.

Thanks gardengal. I will definitely try and find those books. :)

Leona

My yard is almost completely shaded and in addition to the plants already listed above I have had success with Japanese Arelia (fatsia japonica). It is a tropical-looking plant that does well in shade.

Don't know how large your garden corner is but you've received some great ideas. I think hosta and ferns are everyone's shade favorites.

In zone 8 with morning sun, you should have many options - azaleas, astilbe, coral bells, columbines, hardy begonias, common pink or white begonias survive mild winters here in zone 7, touch-me-nots, very early spring bulbs (anemones, buttercups, etc.), woodland plants like foamflower, woodland phlox, indian pink, turtleheads, larkspur... I find spider flowers (Cleome) grow well in even heavy shade but don't self-seed like they do in sun.

For native shrubs, Euonymus americanus (hearts-a-bustin) and Callicarpa americana (Beautyberry) look great right now with their bright berries.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beautyberry photo