Shade Gardening: Help me plan my plantings for this corner shade garden, 1 by Lily_love

Lily_love wrote:
speediebean, Mahonia, various kinds stay 'evergreen' in our mild climate. Something that provides 'green' in all seasons is favorable with DH here. As far ...drawing up ideas.... yes, I'm. DH goes a step further, he's collecting grass clippings, and chopped up fallen leaves to create compost for future planting. Wee wrote

Quoting: dogwoods favoring understory situation ...

With flowering dogwoods or Eastern dogwoods they seem to make it "at home" in shade -- perhaps up North? Down South; if you ever noticed from a 'bird eye view' when take off and landing (air traveling--in early spring), you'll see them naturalized along forest edge/ borders (presumably where they enjoy periphery sunlight? Around my neighborhood, those that stay in full sun provide more colorful leaves in the fall, plus an abundant berries for wildlife. Those that in shade NOT so much. I don't have experience with the twig dogwoods to draw from. Other dogwood species: Several years ago I discovered a naturalized Osier dogwood on the edge of the wood, those are not as showy as Eastern dogwoods, but the "blue muffin" berries is quite attractive to me, and I'm sure wildlife appreciate them too. Another worth mention dogwood is the Kousa dogwood, the first time I saw these big blooms of the Kousa dogwood. It took my breath away! Its flowers are just as prestine white as Eastern dogwoods, but perhaps 1.5 to 2x the size of our Eastern dogwoods! Those I saw were in Maryland, I haven't seen them being used down here in the South, not sure how they will fare here-- now I'm scooting toward sunny planting....rather shade gardening. Please forgive me.

Here is an example of Eastern dogwood that gets more sun compared to those that are in the shade--let me emphasize; I'm speaking for our Southern zone as appose to zone 4 and 5. Those Eastern dogwoods that are in the shade (here) have long dropped their leaves, and berries as well.