I’ve had good luck with snapdragons and bleeding hearts.
Hostas have pretty leaves but no flowers.

Bert
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We’ve had luck with black-eyed susans growing well in the shade. Also, you can try hardy hibiscus (rose mallow), that have flowers the size of dinner plates. Very pretty and blooms continuously throughout the season!
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would suggest Astilbe..Hostas (they do flower) yews.. Spider wart…Brunerra is a pretty one…bleeding hearts are nice.
Columbine is STUNNING!! Joe Pye weed is pretty.
Lady’s mantle..guem…PLUMBAGO (one my favorites) and maybe
Thats about what my brain had to offer..
Fall is the best time to plant
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Im into plants….perennial queen

Swwey woodruff is a bright green ground cover that has pleasant flowers in the spring. As someone else mentioned, black eyed susans (rudbeckia) also do well in the shade, they just don’t get as tall as they do in the full sun. Both of these can be planted in the spring.

Visit our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!
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Here is a flower company where you can search for the perfect plant for your area. I’ve already taken the liberty of selecting Perennials flowering plants for a shady area in zone 6. If you are zone 7 then they will still work. There are 3 pages so make sure you check them all with a large selection. You’re sure to find something you love.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting.
http://michiganbulb.com/search.asp?start=0&t=pf&pf_se=Shade&pf_c=2&pf_fc=any&pf_z=6
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Hosta. There are several to choose from and they do get a tall slender purple flower about mid-summer.
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Flowers for shade: Bleeding Hearts and Fringed Bleeding Hearts, Astilbe, Periwinkle Vinca, Lamium, Dutchman’s breeches,Blue Pearl Polemonium, Helleborus, Forget-Me-Nots, Hardy Primrose. The pink or white Lily of the Valley are really nice :
http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=LGprodview&ItemId=44354&cid=wext000001

Since you have a shady garden…I thought you’d be interested in this 3-Season Shade Garden (the Loyalist Hosta has beautiful varigated leaves):
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_55756

This site illustrates vines that grow in full shade:
http://www.virtualplanttags.com/VinesFullShade.htm
Boston Ivy ‘Lowii’ & common Green-brier has bright red leaves. A widely used low-maintenance native vine is Virginia Creeper or Parthenocissus quinquefolia.
Another vine for dark areas that also tolerates a wide range of conditions is Carolina Moonseed (Cocculus carolinus).

Dwarf Red Hardy Azalea is the hardiest of evergreen Azaleas. It brings life to shady spots year-round, with vivid, rose-crimson flowers for weeks in early spring and bright red foliage all winter. It grows 2-3′ high with similar spread. http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_10264

"All hydrangeas will bloom and grow well in morning sun and afternoon shade. This is especially true of the most commonly grown hydrangeas, the macrophyllas. These are the blue and pink mopheads and lacecaps). If you live in the northern half of the U.S., you can probably grow your hydrangeas in more than just a half day of sun." Don’t plant in "heavy" shade.
http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/lacecaps.html
http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/planting_fert.html

I like the Variegated Weigela. Flowering lasts from late spring into fall. The foliage is as distinctive as the pink flowers; its oval leaves are variegated – green edged with creamy white. It grows a compact 4-6′ high with a 5′ spread & hardy. It can grow in partial shade.
http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=02857
If you want something smaller, "My Monet Variegated Weigela" is just 12 to 18 inches high and wide, My Monet forms a plump, tight little footstool-shaped plant, magnificently blushed with pink in leaf and bloom. The new spring foliage is bright pink, maturing to green edged in white, and the abundant rosy purple-pink blossoms are far larger and more abundant than on other varieties.
http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=LGprodview&ItemId=41709&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=sitemap&SearchText=p16.v227;l1.v272&OfferCode=TH3

Spring or fall is a good time to plant. Potted plants can usually be planted anytime.

Good luck! Hope this is helpful.
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I love these ‘what are your favorite’ type questions, because you’ll get so many answers. You were also good enough to give us your location… so you should get some good responses. As I always include, however, take the list to your local independent garden center for a final going over. Some of your plants might not be hardy where you are, or otherwise difficult if not impossible to get locally.

Many people read the shade part, but not the SMALL in small shrubs… just FYI, becareful of some of the choices.

As for shady perennials, what can I say, Hosta, Astilbe, Lamium, lungwart (Pulmonaria), Ligularia, Bruneria (there are some dazzling variegated forms!), ferns of all kind, foxglove (Digitalis), monkshood (Aconitum), columbine (Aquilegia) and Japanese toad lily (Tricyrtis). I’m sure there are more perennials, but this will get you started.

As for shrubs… how small? But boxwood (Buxus), Japanese rose (Kerria) (There are some nice variegated forms), Dwarf Rhododendrons (Like Rampo or Purple Gem), Deutzia.
These may get you going in the right direction.

I’m in USDA hardiness zone 5, which is similar to where you live, so I’m thinking that everything here should be hardy there.

Good luck-
I hope that this helps
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I am a professional horticulturist