Are you absolutely fixed on shrubs? Other plants that will grow in deep shade include Geranium macrorrhizum and Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny spurge, a native). A shrub to consider is Eleuthercoccus sieboldiana vareigata. VERY slow growing and open, but the variegation is nice in deep shade.

what the goal of the project?? .. usually it is sight block.. and height is needed .... and shade causes lack of vigor to grow to height ... but that doesnt sound like the issue here ...

how about a pic of the spot ...???

is it simply that you cant contemplate a bare spot in a dark area???

ken

If you have acid soil, check out Kalmia latifolia, mountain laurel, a broadleafed evergreen that grows naturally in forested areas and blooms in late spring. You should also look into various perennials such as hosta, Iris cristata (crested iris), Polygonatum (Solomon's seal), Tiarella, and Cimicifuga (AKA Actea), especially the dark-leafed forms such as Hillside Black Beauty or Brunette.

It also looks like at least some of your shade comes from Norway maple seedlings; you might want to consider removing some or all of them since they are difficult to garden around due to lots of shallow roots competing for moisture and nutrients, and also they tend to seed around prolifically. In some parts of the country they are no longer legal to sell since they are invasive.

Thank you NHBabs, those are some good choices you listed. As for the Norway Maple seedlings, they are a huge pain to deal with. They fall very often from the trees and constantly have to clean them up before most of them take root. I do my best cut whatever branches from the tree I can reach to at least bring a bit more sunlight through. I think that's the best it'll get in that area unfortunately. Nevertheless, I'll keep researching more on this subject. If there's any more knowledge you can pass on, I'd be happy to read it. :)

If it is at all possible, removing the Norway maple would be an excellent idea. Finding shrubs that will grow in deep shade is difficult enough. Finding shrubs that will cope with deep shade and the root competition from Norway maples is nearly impossible. No tree is more difficult to garden under. They shed rain like an umbrella, send their roots everywhere and release an allelopathic substance that inhibits the growth of other plants. Tree removal can be expensive and disruptive but this tree will only cause more problems as it grows larger.

defining shade .. in words.. or even this pic is near impossible ...

i dont really think it is as dark as you might think ...

but sun is also a micro climate.. and when it all boils down ... only you can figure out how your micro climate works.. so you just try things ...

with the norway maple ... i think the issue is water competition .. maybe more than light ...

can you even dig a hole in that soil ??? and if you can.. and you are cutting a lot of roots ... the cuts are going to lead to more aggressive rerooting by the tree.. IN THE HOLE YOU ARE PLANTING IN ...

so you would near bare root a plant ... in fall ... plant with native soil .. no amendments to attract the new feeder roots .. and always broadcast water rather than watering only the hole you plant in ...and never fert only that hole/plant ...

all designed to try to trick the tree into not choking out your new plant ... before it can settle in.. and compete with the brut ...

if i were space limited .. i would also get rid of the norway .. and enjoy my new freedom in the garden .. heck i have 5 acres.. and i wouldnt have a norway ....

ken

I don't have any experience with root competition from Norway Maple but I find Sarcococca Confusa to be a very useful shade shrub.

@Ken

Some areas are difficult to dig far enough in due to shallow roots, but some places are clear of roots and could be used with the right plants. Watering the whole area is a good idea and may work if watered regularly. I'll try this out and experiment a bit to see what works and what doesn't. As for lighting, the area does seem to get filtered sunlight periodically at different hours of the day, including the morning. I would love to get rid of the trees, but unfortunately I don't have that type of money at the moment. So, instead of working against them, I'll have to work around them and learn better techniques to outsmart the brute. Appreciate the advice. :)

Yes, get rid of the horrid Norway maple. If that building has a stone foundation, I see it causing all kinds of problems. Can you believe one of my idiot neighbors is letting one of these grow right along my property line, then got mad at me when I (quite legally) had a tree trimming company trim it back to the property line? In Cecil County any weed tree landing on someone's property apparently triggers the reaction, "yee haw, the lord done blessed us with a free tree!"

I would NOT plant pachysandra or Sarcococca, until it's more clear which species are or are not resistant to the boxwood blight that is starting to ravage the northeast. Both are related to Buxus.