Shade loving plants

I can't believe that your having problems with hostas, how long have they been there. It normally take 3 seasons for them to really take off, they say year 1 sleep, year 2 creep, year 3 leap. Even though they like the shade they need lots of water. You might want to try ferns, lily of the valley (just be careful can become invasive),bleeding hearts, astilbe, toad lily's, for just a few. For some really good info try www.gardenweb.com.

Yew trees and shrubs are shade-tolerant plants with a long history behind them. The hybrid cultivars of the Taxus x media group are crosses between Japanese yews and English yews. All parts of the yew are poisonous, except for the red berry, or "aril"; but since yew seeds are poisonous, and the seed matures within the berry, even the latter can be considered "off limits." Keep small children away from this shade-tolerant plant! "Taunton Yew" (Taxus x media 'Tauntonii') is the best yew shrub for regions with severe winters, because Taunton yews are resistant to winter burn. Yew trees and shrubs aren't affected so much by the severe cold as they are by the snow. Deadnettle (Lamium galeobdolon) is a shade-loving perennial for zones 4-9. Deadnettle grows to a height of 1'-2', with a similar spread. It puts out a yellow bloom, but is more often grown for its medium green foliage that is splashed with silver blotches. Not only does deadnettle love shade, but once established, it is also drought-tolerant, making it an ideal plant for rock gardens. The silver in its foliage plays well with the bluish-green foliage of rock garden plants such as sedum. Just give it a soil with good drainage and let it go!

I find the speckled plant called acuba is great. It is a woodier plant and is more hardy for semi-drought conditions. I learned the hard way that they prefer the shade! I burned one black by leaving it in a full sun spot in my yard. Thinking I had killed it I set by the front porch in a shaded area so it would be out of the way. I am thankful that I did, because it is now growing again and is more speckled than ever.

I've had good luck with petunias, for low profile plants, and daylilies for height. It depends on the moisture you have also. Some plants that work well in shade need lots of moisture also. If space is limited, you need more compact plants that don't spread fast, and if you have lots of space, a larger, spreading bulb or tuber might work better. Hope I've helped a little. Good luck