The alley gets almost no sun, btw.

Cast iron plant does well in deep shade and the leaves are beautiful. I have it in clumps in a foot-wide bed. But it's dark green like your camellias. Clivia will grow there, and they get lovely flowers in oranges and yellows.
Renee

If your Camellia does well Hydrangeas will also. There are several new varigated hydrangeas that will help lighten up the space. Al

You don't say if this area is viewable from anywhere, or whether you want to be able to walk through the planting area for access, or where you are in the Bay Area. A bit more information would be useful to give a more informed answer. There are lots of plants that will grow in full shade, and Sunset Western Garden Book Encylopedia lists many. I would list completely different choices depending on the answers to the questions above. My assumption would be that you don't want things that get too big and woody(and wide, if you only have 2 feet of width between your house wall and/or fence/walk. I'd be thinking of vines or espaliered wall plants to stay narrow, with an understory of foundation plants at the base of the wall. Abutilons or Star Jasmine work well as espaliers, and things like Cala lilies, Foxtail Asparagus Ferns, Cyperis textilis, Chamaedorea microspadix, Cineraria, Billbergia nutans, Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' would all work well in a narrow shaded area. Cultivars of the Sasanqua Camellia also lend themselves to being espaliered against a wall. Annuals for color might include Impatiens or Wax Begonias, or Cyclamen in winter.

bahia - yes, i do not want anything that gets too big or woody or taller than 6 feet. The area is visible from my master bath , home office and guest bedroom.

Also, I am in san carlos 94070. Camellias do well in the soil I have there.

Al - do hydrangeas do well in mostly shade?

I have a garden in a commercial area down town with a narrow space no more than two feet wide between the side of the building and a decorative iron fence. Very large deciduous street trees provide dense shade all summer. I have two espaliered Camellias, several varieties of Hydrangeas, a Aucuba japonica, and four Calla lilies. I tried Clivia but the site is a little two cold for them. It does take some pruning to keep the Hydrangeas and Camellias and in a few more years the Aucuba small enough. Al