Long narrow shaded strip between 2 houses, shrubs?

[WildThongsHeartString]

Any ideas please for shrubs or low hedging that will ground cover and tolerate shady dryish conditions? Some colour would be nice if possible.The area is about 3 ft wide and runs the full length of the house so I'd also need to know how many to buy.

Hellebores? Ferns?

Cotoneaster
Euonymus
Mahonia

Not much blooms in deep shade, except weeds and ivy. hydrangas are supposed to if little direct sun, but it must be light shade. My neighbours bloomed on her NE facing house wall, but no house wall on the otherside. Most ground covers do well Vinca, eg Vinca and is evergreen. Depends on how high you want them to grow and how deep the space you have and how much pruning you are prepared to do. Varigated types do need the sun to bring out the yellow bits.

You can get various standards with grafted on heads of cotoneaster and the many varieties of Eunonymus. I assume your width is the depth from the house wall. I have a cream and green varigated Eunonymus, that is very pretty, but does get the sun. The cream colour may not need so much sun as the yellow varigated types. It is low and spreading and does need a prune, but quite slow growing so not that often.