PerennialsBugbane (Cimicifuga), hosta lilies, ferns (many choices), old-fashioned daylilies. Woodland wildflowers

Bellwort (Uvularia), jack-in-the-pulpit, lungwort (Pulmonaria), meadow rue, Solomon's seal, trillium, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia).

Ground cover

Common periwinkle (Vinca minor), barrenwort (Epimedium), foamflower (Tiarella), lily-of-the-valley, Japanese spurge (Pachysandra), wild ginger, wild violets, snow-on-the-mountain. (Just a warning: Snow-on-the-mountain, also called "goutweed" (Aegopodium), thrives in shade. But because it spreads so aggressively, it's recommended only in areas where barriers can keep it from moving into your lawn.)

DEB BROWN