I have to be careful to keep them on the northwest side rather than the northeast side or they just put out leaves and no flowers. By growing them in containers, I can move them to the south side for a vacation if I need to encourage flowering. New varieties are introduced every year. Some, like Park Princess, have been developed for container gardening. The American Dahlia Society Handbook is the best source on the Internet for information about these plants.
Lilies are so reliable they threaten to take over the garden.
I had to dig the bulbs and move them to my perennial beds. They proved very faithful bloomers throughout July, but by August, all I had left were tall green plants. This past year I grew some oriental lilies that bloomed from late July to mid August. I'm waiting to see if they survive our cold, damp winters in this location before drawing any definite conclusions about their shade tolerance. I've also grown tulips and crocuses in the shade.