Aruncus Dioicus (Goatsbeard) would be a larger perennial that suits those conditions. It has the appearance of a shrub. Another choice would be Actea, one of the cultivars with the darker foliage such as Black Negligee.

Stephanie, I am squinting at your pictures trying to identify the plants. It looks like you have a great assortment.

I would just give you my standouts in my small shade garden in the DC suburbs. I really am impressed with autumn leaf fern. It gets large and is rabbit/deer proof. My established ones barely blinked at the 2 months of drought.

I have a great deal of success with hostas (I see a few in your garden), but I have to spray for the deer. For inspiration, the hosta forum has an ABC list every winter where they post pictures of their hostas for each letter of the alphabet. It creates quite the wishlist. I planted some of the huge ones for some drama and height this Spring.

Good luck, it looks like you have a great start. Feel free to continue this thread and show us updates as your garden fills out!

Thank you both for your thoughts. I wound up finding another Encore Amethyst and now have three of those along with a Kurume Pink Pearl azalea. ;) I just couldn't resist. lol

I found a Stained Glass hosta locally and put it in the middle of the two trees and am still looking for a shrub like something. I've been reading about the different Cimifuga's and Sambucus - I like Hillside Black Beauty and Sambucus Nigra "Eva". I think it will be one of those two but haven't decided yet.

I'm holding off on buying anything because I have to have three trees taken down this winter. One is going to really impact the shade situation so I'm waiting to see how much I have to move and if it will change the plantings much.

I love ferns, posierosie. I have two Autumn ferns, one is out front, the other in back. Two ferns that were growing on their own in my back yard - I figured if they were tough enough to survive the drought on their own, they needed to be in a bed. Three japanese painted ferns, one Christmas fern, a lady fern and a red regal fern.

So far I have more hostas than anything - stained glass, blue mammoth, abiqua drinking gourd, halycon, elegans, sun power, sum and substance, striptease, francee, blue mouse ears and lemon lime. I have seen so many I covet on the hosta forum it isn't funny. ;)

I also have heuchera but am not sure I'm buying more of those. So far three have just disappeared and I don't like spending money on things that get smaller instead of bigger.

My dad gave me 10 lenten roses last year too. I think two of them are big enough to bloom this year - the rest are still too little.

Stephanie, if you have found the hosta forum, then I have nothing more to contribute. Haha. Sounds like a great assortment and you have some of my favorites with great variety.

My huchera are pathetic. When they work, they are amazing, but no luck for me. I did try tiarella/ foamy bells and those are doing well their second year.

I have one lenten rose and it's a trooper. I hope at my next Spring swap I can get some babies. Supposedly they reproduce like crazy - for others. Hehe

I really love ferns, too. Thank goodness the fern and woodland forums are slow. I get too knowledgeable and then I start ordering from specialty nurseries...... ;)