Euphorbia polychroma

Fritillaria meleagris

Mahonia aquifolium

Plants for light or filtered shade
(Two to four hours of shade between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.)

Perennials
Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
Canadian columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
False spirea (Astilbe x arendsii)
Fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia 'Luxuriant')
Cushion spurge (Euphorbia polychroma)
Bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Golden hakonechloa (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola')
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Bulbs
Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris)
Lily (Lilium spp.)
Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)

Shrubs
Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
Vernal witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis)
Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)
Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Japanese pieris (Pieris japonica)

Aruncus dioicus

Leucojum vernum

Hydrangea quercifolia

Plants for part shade
(Shaded four to five hours during the day)

Perennials
Bishop's weed (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum')
Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
Goat's beard (Aruncus dioicus)
European wild ginger (Asarum europaeum)
Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
Creeping lilyturf (Liriope spicata)
Wild sweet William (Phlox divaricata)
Columbine meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium)

Bulbs
Fancy-leaf caladium (Caladium x hortulanum)-- A tropical plant; must be lifted in the fall
Elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta)-- Grow as an annual
Spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum)

Shrubs
Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora)
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana)
Azalea and rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)

Corydalis lutea

Itea virginica

Plants for full shade
(No direct sun, but lit by 'skyshine,' defused ambient daylight)

Perennials
Siberian bellflower (Campanula poscharskyana)
Yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea)
Crested iris (Iris cristata)
Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon 'Variegatum')
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Wild sweet William (Phlox divaricata)
Solomon seal (Polygonatum spp.)
Wherry's foamflower (Tiarella wherryi)

Shrubs
Winter daphne (Daphne odorata)
Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica)
Arrowwood viburnmum (Viburnum dentatum)

Bergenia cordifolia

Plants for dense shade
(The deepest, darkest, daylong shade found under the thickest, most crowded branches of trees)

Perennials
Bishop's goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegatum')
Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans)
Pig squeak (Bergenia cordifolia)
Elephant ears (Alocasia macrorrhiza)
Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
Hosta (Hosta spp.)
Crested iris (Iris cristata)
Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)
Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Small Solomon seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
Wherry's foamflower (Tiarella wherryi)