Groundcovers

• Pachysandra is a traditional shade groundcover. You can also try lilies of the valley, which also have fragrant spring blooms, but pick your spot carefully--they spread rapidly. Liriope (lily-turf) grows in grasslike clumps.
  
  

Mostly Leaves

• The best-known foliage plant for shade is the hosta. They come in dozens of varieties with different sizes and shapes of leaves and colors that range from chartreuse to almost blue, with every shade of green in between. Ferns are the other big group of shade foliage plants.
  
  

Spring Bloom

• One of the prettiest spring bloomers is bleeding heart, with ferny leaves and delicate heart-shaped blossoms of either white or pink and red. Columbine, coral bells (heuchera), creeping phlox and forget-me-nots are more spring bloomers.
  
  

Summer Bloom

• Astilbe has long plumes of bloom, as does aruncus (goat's beard). Foxgloves have bell-shaped blooms running up the stalk and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Hostas, though mostly grown for foliage, also have tall stalks of bloom in summer.
  
  

Autumn Bloom

• Gentian and monkshood (aconitum) both have lovely blue flowers. Turtleheads (chelone) have pink, pinkish-purple or creamy white blooms.