Help with plants/shrubs for shady bed please

[Bubbaloo]

I have recently had the garden redone and after a trip to the garden centre today,I've come back and positioned all what I've bought but I still need a few biggish plants for the shady bed and I'm out of ideas.
I need something toddler friendly with no berries or thorns etc and preferably with a bit of colour,if anyone has any ideas please.
Thanks.

[woodstock3]

acer if you have acid soil? ferns? how big do you want and what seasons of interest?
we have winter box which smells lovely, has flowers but no berries and you can get quite small ones. also in the shady bed we have a fatsia but that does have berries.

[Bubbaloo]

Thanks.
I bought a Fatsia and an Acer last week which both look great and I have actually planted the Acer in a sunny spot,so I hope it's going to be ok.
Tbh I'm not really a shrub person but now we have the ds's I do need something low maintenance and fairly robust.I took my friend to the nursery today as she's more into shrubs than me and we bought so much we could barely get everything in the car.I haven't a clue what half of the plants are that I bought.
I would imagine I need something which is approx 3ft in height to put at the back of the bed,but nothing that is going to take over the garden.

[Pannacotta]

SOme lovely thinkgs on this site
www.plantsforshade.co.uk/
Does depend on your soiltype (sandy/clay as well as ph) and if the bed gets any sun at all.
Agree that Christmas Box is nice and smells good in winter.
Ferns are nice too and good in shade, also look at Choisya, Viburnum Tinus and Aucuba Japonica, all evergreen, easy to grow/prune and will take the shade.

[Bubbaloo]

Thanks,that's really helpful.

I'm now worrying that I planted the Acer I bought in 'normal' soil as I didn't realise it needed acid soil.Do you know if I can buy anything to put in the soil to make it more acidic or will it die if I just leave it where it is?
It's been in the grown for about a week and so far it still looks great.

[Pannacotta]

Yu can get erichaeous compost which is good for acid loving plants, but tbh I have had acers in lime soil and they have been fine.

[Bubbaloo]

That's a relief as the one I've got is a nice established one at about 6ft so I don't want to kill it.Think I'll get some erichaeous compost just incase which will also come in handy for my azalea.