Geraniums, Campanula, Platycodon, Aquilegia, Tiarella, Mitella, Chrysogonum, Meconopsis are a few that come to mind. If there are perennials you especially like, try them. they might surprise and delight you.

Epimediums like shade and a dry spot also.
Von

For color on short plants in some shade, I like to use a lot of great foliage plants.

Heucheras: (common name "coral bells"): They come in incredible colors now! I love Peach Melba and Peach Flambe, Amethyst Mist, Green Spice, Plum Pudding, Silver Scrolls, Obsidian, ... so many good ones.

Hostas are great too -- if you want short, these come in minis and dwarfs, and give you golds/yellows, blues, white, all shades of green and types of variegation.

Others that come to mind are Brunneras like 'Jack Frost', Pulmonarias (common name "lungwart", like 'Diane Clair'), Ligularia like 'Britt Marie'...

I like using plants for their foliage and texture because then I have the color/look all season, and not just when the plants are in bloom.

Hi,
I made this list of my shade plants for a GWer on another forum. Here's a copy:

Geraniums do very well in part shade. There is even a native shade plant geranium that I grow.
Other plants I have in part shade to shade(some may already have been mentioned):
Virginia Bluebells
Woodland Phlox
Pumonaria(Lungwort)
Primula- could be too hot to grow for you?
Hellobore(Lenten and Christmas rose)
Climbing Hydrangea
Hydrangea shrub
Itea(Virginia Sweetspire Shrub)
Clethra(Summer Sweet Shrub)
Jack in the Pulpit
Columbine
Hosta
Forget-me-nots
Japanese Iris
Viburnum shrub
Brunnera
Bleeding Heart
Ferns
Thalictrum
astilbe
Leucothoe shrub
Mahonia shrub
Tiarella
Heuchera
Fothergilla shrub
Serbian Bellflower- other short campanula varieties
Japanese Anemone
Iris cristata
Kirengeshoma palmata
Clematis will bloom with morning only sun
Bulbs-daffodils, snowdrops(galanthus), frittelaria, English bluebells, snowflakes(leucojum vernum), iris reticulata

Hope that helps,
Remy

How about Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pinks). The prefer morning sun to high shade and do well in loamy soil. They bloom from spring to summer and are hardy to zone 5

Penny

In my shade bed (which varies between filtered sun between leaves and almost no sun), I have, in addition to what's above, goldenstar, may apple, heucherella, toad lily, columbine, scottish bellflower, forget-me-not, trillium, globeflower, and corydalis.