Filling in empty shaded space

[skorpion]

Hi, we have a strip of soil about a foot wide by the fence (shaded most of the day) where I have a lot of bulbs: starting the spring with snowdrops, daffodils, bluebells, tulips and grape hyacinth. Please could I have some ideas for what else I can grow there once these flowers are gone in the year? I don't want just a bare strip of soil. All I have come up with are marigolds... Doesn't have to be flowers, some greenery would be nice, too.

Thanks.

A mix of ferns and hostas can look very dramatic repeated fern/hosta/fern/hosta down the border. A lot of ferns die down over the winter, as do the hostas, so your bulbs would show through at least until May. Slugs love the hostas though.

Heucharas are also good, and come in some good red shades, and Helleborus Foetidas which is a sort of lime green.

Or you could plant some lilies for summer flowers. Lily beetle can be a pain thoug if you don't want to spray pesticide.

Christmas roses (helleborus niger) are good for shaded areas. There are a few in plant nurseries at the moment and if you plant them now you should get some of the gorgeous waxy white flowers for the winter. I also have a couple of sage bushes in my shady border - I think sage usually like sunshine, but it seems to be doing well. You can get a really nice variety called tricoloure. It needs cutting right back in the winter or it gets scraggy, and that would let your bulbs shine through in the spring.

Ooh, lovely suggestions. Thank you!

you can also use Bergenia otherwise known as elephants ears and pachysandra