Shaded area of my garden needs some life putting into it - advice required?

Brunnera, Pulmonaria, Toad Lilies, Astilbe, Periwinkles, Primrose, Huechera - check them all out. Also many plants that say they need full sun will still do ok in shade - like I have day lilies planted under an oak tree and Sweet William growing in a shaded garden. But if you want all summer long flowering your best bet is usually to invest in a few annuals to spread in there too.

Violas, cornflowers and columbine all do well in shade and have some nice color. They should all come back each year, but you might need to re-seed them every now and then. You can usually buy a box of mixed wildflower seed for shade. Again, I think you have to plant it every year.

what zone are you in? some things that will come back year after year in my zone are annuals in other zones.

in general the following things are good for shade:

impatiens--little flowers, lots of color love shade---red, white, pink. it seems the more shade they have the more they spread out.

hostas--green foliage pretty much year round, purple, lilac, or white flowered spikes in spring and fall.

most ferns---green foliage

calidiums--foliage--mostly greens, whites, burgundies, pinks.

begonias--all colors

fuschias