The yellow form makes a good ground cover over small narcissus in partly shady areas. Jack in the pulpit, Arum italicum , copes with dry summers by disappearing. This plant is a fine winter and spring ground cover, with a long 8-inch leaf edged in white. May. This is a good ground cover under deciduous trees or on the edges of woodland plantings. After June, mulch over the ground where the arum has gone dormant.
Berries drop off and sprout just as the leaves begin their late fall return.
Another good dry shade plant that has spring interest but goes dormant in late summer is bleeding heart. May. The bigger hybrid form, Dicentra spectabilis , can reach 3 feet in height with an arching stem of flowers. It will go dormant and disappear in August, and needs some irrigation during early summer. This is a showy dry shade plant. Experimenting in your own garden and talking with nurseries will give you other specifically suited plants for dry shade.