I have had good luck with Hellebore and Epimedium in dry shade under a maple.

If you have acid soil, take a look at Kirengeshoma palmata.

I’m also partial to Brunnera macrophylla and Pulmonaria. Varieties with silver in the foliage can brighten up that dark looking space.

I like my hellebores, but some can take over a bed,. I also have epimediums. Both do well in shade, the hellebores start to flower in late winter before the leaves are on the trees. Brunnera also does well in the shade.

Soil makes the blueberries happy, so yes, slightly to the acidic side of neutral.

Hellebores aren't our favorite, so if they have take-over-itis, I think I'll skip those.

Kirengeshoma palmata looks like something we'd pull out accidentally based on a quick google search ... unless there's a better cultivar that I'm missing.

I have a couple epimedium up in the front and like them; I think I've got 'Cherry Tart' and 'Pink Star', though they're not really close, so there's no need to correspond with them ... any specific ones that you recommend in particular?

Brunnera and Pulmonaria look appealing with the silvery foliage.

I'm reminded that we have a hosta just over the fence that would like to not be eaten ...

(That's a toad house, by the way.)

I'm also not opposed to extending into the back corner behind the bed in my planting ... sunken pot would be an option for something that wants seperation (for its good or for containment).

Heuchera - Carnival Watermelon grows really well for me and looks great as does Caramel. You could also get a bright green/yellow variety to brighten up that shade but they haven't grown as well for me.

My heuchera do well and the chartreuse are quite attractive. The epimedium that worked for me are the ones with "spiny leaves," I will see if I have a picture of mine. Keep in mind the blooms are tiny but when they grow well they provide some color in early spring. I also have columbine that bloom in early spring for more color. Spiderwort will grow anywhere in my yard but they do self seed, so perhaps not so good for you?

Various hostas, coral bells, ferns….all with varying leaf color, shape, and texture can bring a lot of life into the space.

Nidnay, very attractive groupings. Are those Ice Palace heuchera in the back behind Ben Vernooj or Autumn Frost hosta? They are a great contrast to the ferns and the hosta. The blueish green center on the hosta is a nice combination with the purple heuchera.

nidnay, is that a woodland phlox in the front? I have one of those that gets devoured by the deer ... perhaps I could move it if it's still alive ...

Which hosta is that in the first picture to the left of the ferns with the chartreuse centers?

I picture a nice, big Liberty in that fence corner box. And maybe a World Cup (buy big) in the other box. Then, have a blast planting around base of the big ones.

Oh, and it occurs to me, if I move the hosta into the fenced area, is there a good deer resistant plant for the hosta's spot? The woodland phlox could be replaced by an epimedium ... it's in the bed with the other two epimediums.

Anyone grown hardy cyclamen? Do their flowers actually survive, or are they pretty much a foliage plant?

Blue Moon is what my phlox is, or perhaps was ...

Epimedium doing fine right next to that spot:

Cherry Tart on the left, Pink Star on the right. I don't know what's going on with the woolly thyme marked in front. Poor phlox even had its headstone, I mean, tag knocked over.

Sad state of the hosta in need of moving ...

(I don't know its name.) That is the bed closest in the background.

Oh, and just for fun, this is the partially complete daylily bed:

(The other daylilies are waiting in pots in our porch and/or not yet divided.) That blackberry does stay ... maybe with a touch more controlling.

Blueberry, I have hardy cyclamen. The flowers are not as showy as the florist varieties, but they are attractive and stick around for a week or two (I think, going by memory). I started mine from seed, a mix of spring- and fall-blooming types. The foliage is nice but it does go dormant in the summer, as in it completely disappears from view.

Mine re-seed pretty well, but not too invasively. Some have popped up in my lawn even, but I don't mind. I want to try transplanting some this fall and spring; they are being overtaken by vines in their present location.

Just curious-how tall is that fence? Deer can jump a six-foot fence (ask me how I know) and 8-ft. fences are recommended unless it is a solid fence that prevents them from seeing the other side. If you have deer in your yard, and it looks like they have been at those hosta, plant with that in mind.

Ah, so they go into complete dormancy ... I thought I might get to keep their foliage; disappearing makes them less appealing.

Yes, there are deer, but there isn't enough landing space in this garden for them to want to jump in. They can reach over somewhat if they want to, but that's only a risk to the blueberry bushes really, since everything else is either guarded by blackberries or a long reach. To answer the question asked, though, about three feet tall.

Yes, deer are what consumed the poor green hosta ... and several other hosta, and the phlox, and a number of my unprotected daylily buds, and tips of several shrubs. Turkeys are another issue, though more a trample threat than a consumer ... fence keeps the adults out, since they have no reasonto fly in ... I've only seen the turkeys bother flying when they were running away from us (shooing them from the garden) and the fox was in the back; the oak and pines were safer than continuing to run at the fox. Bunnies can still get through if they want to, but they're not really the big threat in our yard, unless of course you're a tulip. The ground hog lives next door now and mainly just comes over to eat the dropped fruit of their mulberry ... we've seen him in the backyard, but he hasn't been much of a problem (probably because he's living in their yard abd not under our shed). I think that covers the main threats to the garden ... to answer the next question, yes, we have pretty much everything for new england wild life.