Paul James, host of HGTV's Gardening by the Yard , explains how to grow plants successfully in shade. All plants need some degree of sunlight to grow properly. If the shade is the result of a north-facing exposure, a high roof line or overhanging eaves, there's not much you can do to get rid of it. The amount of shade a spot gets can vary dramatically during the day and throughout the year. For instance, when deciduous trees are dormant, the area beneath them gets full sun, but once the trees leaf out in spring, that same area may get no sun at all.
Proper soil is the secret to growing plants successfully in the shade.
The forest floor is covered by a layer of leaf litter. The soil itself may be surprisingly thin, but that's okay as long as the leaf litter is present. These conditions can be re-created at home by providing shredded leaves with compost or packaged products containing a fair amount of leaf mold, or partly composted leaves. If the soil in a shady garden site is decent, all you need is to add shredded leaves and compost to each plant's planting hole. Top that off with a thick layer of mulch, and plants should do just fine, provided they remain evenly moist.