1) Are we talking Norway Maples? Can lower limbs on the maples be removed tp provide more light?

2) Can the Japanese hollies be cut back hard in late winter, early spring. I have some that are more than 40 years old that I maintain at 2-3 feet. You would wnat to keep them below the windows.

3) Boxwood is a traditional Colonial shrub, but Mountain Laurel is one of the best evergreen flowering shrubs ever, although in deep shade it will flower more sparesly. There are a host of Rhododendrons, both lepidate and elipidote that could be used.

4) Check out George Schenk's book on shade gardening. there are a lot of possibilities. do your homework.

5) I have a Cape Cod colonial home and my woodland garden in front suits it very nicely.

Thank you for your suggestions. Our maples have no limbs below twenty feet (I'm telling you--they're HUGE) so trimming is not an option, but good idea. I'm looking into oakleaf hydrangea, rhodendron, and yew.

We actually have a mountain laurel off to the side. I wish I could figure out how to paste photos because I have one that features it. The dense shade has made it kind of sparse-looking, but it flowers beautifully.

If you don't have a photo hosting site go to the link below and create an account. You can then link to a photo by using the link option at the bottom of the post. I want to see your house!

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket

The lack of light is a problem, but not the most serious one. Nearly all maples have dense, fibrous root systems close to the surface. These roots make it very difficult to dig planting holes, and will out-compete anything you plant in the ground for water and nutrients. Adding soil on top of what's already there is a very temporary solution as the maple roots will infest it completely with astonishing speed. I know this all sounds very pessimistic, but money invested in containers and plants for them will prove much more rewarding than trying to garden in the ground in this site.