It might make a great place to grow a lot of Spring-blooming bulbs. They would be up and finished blooming before the trees are fully leafed out. Most of my bearded iris are growing in part sun and they do fine. You might try some in your raised bed and see how they do. I also have some purple coneflowers growing in full shade and they come back every year and bloom. I'm surprised to hear that your columbines fry in this part shade bed. I have some in part shade and they don't seem to have a problem, but they do need significant water when the weather gets really hot. By July the columbines are finished blooming anyway.
My favorite shade plant is elephant ears. Hydrangeas like part shade and can tolerate full sun too. Oak leaf hydrangeas are especially hardy in Texas. I have one the grew into my kitchen window last summer and I caught her in the morning in my liquor cabinet.

Cheryl

Mexican Salvias, salvia involcrata, salvia madrensis, salvia gregii, aloe maculata, Salvia penstemonoides, aloe vera, mexican oregano, texas craig lilly, mexican turks giant turks cap, regular turkscap,. manafreda, gulf coast penstemon, sedum palmerii, greek patern plant (agapanthus mollis), ajuga repins,yellow columbine, betony, obeience plant, Phlox pilosa,bilberia nutans,betony,patridge berry,salvia lyrata, iris, salvia hotlips, dykia,

I have the same situation you do, Whitecap, as our trees keep getting bigger (which, I have to keep reminding myself, was the goal!).

I have had success with pentas, pigeonberry, Texas native columbine, Catlin's giant ajuga, holly fern, scutellaria longiforia, lily of the Nile agapanthus, Philippine violet, asparagus fern, wandering Jew, American beautyberry, and spiderwort. I am just starting out with eupatorium (mist flower) and lamium, so I can't speak from personal experience with them, but they are supposed to do well.

I have a Pee Wee oakleaf hydrangea that I'm trying out, but I can't tell you how well it will do.

Thank you, thank you. Lots of stuff to research here. Looks like much of it won't be available (if at all) before a couple of weeks or so.

Seems that wantonamara may have a lock on the market for Texas craig lily. Google turns up one hit for it--his seed list. Several lawyers out there go by "Craig Lilly." I might plant one of those, if I got a chance. They aren't usually found outside their protected habitats, however.

I'm going to try one of the compact oak leafs. I've got a shady corner that needs filling in.

I need a low border--maybe the phlox pilosa. I see, though, that Mr. Smarty Pants says it goes "dormant" in summer. Another possibility might be the "sundrops" Texas primrose. It doesn't seem to be very popular, which makes me a bit uneasy.

Might scutellaria "longiforia" be "longifolia," sometimes called hummingbird plant? Couldn't turn up anything on "longiforia."

That Philippine violet is certainly an eye stopper. Further inquiry is indicated.

I have seed of the craig lilly and the plants become available on occasion at bee Caves nursery in Austin . I have some germinating as we speak, Hopefully. They bloom in september and bees love them. I have them planted where my native yellow columbine lives.. I get nice yellow statements twice a year. Salvia roemeriana bloom red exactly when my Ajuga reptins blooms blue and culumbine blooms yellow. Great spring partshade combo. a little later my dykia and aloe maculata take off. Dames rocket does part shade nice too. Gopher plant does remarkable well in mostly partshade if it gets a bit of sun during the day. They are blooming right now.

I wouldn't recommend hydrangea personally. I think they must do better in East TX.

I've tried them in park sun and total shade and failed miserably in both areas. I know of others who failed as well.

Plants I've had good luck with in part shade/shade are yellow columbine, holly fern, lyre leaf sage, penstemon sage, spider lily and liriope.

Yes, whitecap, you're right, it's longifolia, not longiforia. My bad.

Still nothing in the ground yet--what dismal weather. Lots of pros and cons to weigh here, like "how much water is this sucker going to need?" Many of the recs don't seem to be locally available, and I don't have the patience to start from seed.

Tentatively, I have in mind to put a Philippine violet in the far left corner, then flank it with plumbago. A cigar plant, maybe, in the near left corner. Then, a border of Mexican heather across the front (I know they're hit or miss on coming back.) A couple of blue and black salvias (black and blue? whatever) in the far right corner. (I'm still undecided on these--an 'old hand' told me today they don't bloom well here.) A couple of cedar salvias along the right border. Inside this perimeter, an oblong configuration of pavers. Inside the oblong, butterfly iris on one side (I have a huge clump that needs dividing) and on the other a betony. I'm totally stumpted on the near right corner, and finishing the right side. Has anyone tried these perennial geraniums?

Frustrating, how disappointing some things can be close up and personal, when they looked so seductive in photos.

Plumbago will be fine there, I think. And Turk's Cap...does fine in shade, fine in sun, and doesn't require tons of water. Hummingbirds love the Turk's Cap, and the fruit is edible. (Not great, but edible.) :~)