hmm- Y'know, none of the low-growing things I have in the shade ar ethere for the flowers-

hostas do flower, some of them quite nicely- but I'm all about the stripy foliage.

ferns are by far my favorite- a backdrop of ostrich ferns is a wonderful thing :) and the low growing 'japanese painted' ferns are just lovely :)

another favorite is lamium (dead nettle) with silver and green foliage, a cascading habit, and while it does flower (lavender, pink, or white) they're just an accent for me.

I also have stands of corydalis lutea- and the flower spikes are so gangly that I cut them off at ground level whenever I see them- they make an otherwise lovely plant look sloppy.

and then there's my lily of the valley-but they ARE invasive ;)

Astilbe is a nice flowering shade lover- cotton candy puffs of pink or white that grow to about knee height.

bleeding hearts are another one I love- mine's mature now, and takes up nearly a full cubic yard of my garden- if I had it in deeper shade, it would flower well into the summer.

some of the asiatic lillies will flower in half-sun conditions - my turk's caps have hostas at their feet, which make a nice combination.

:) hope this helps!

Check out the epimediums. Youngianum is almost evergreen, and will take dry shade. Lenten roses are also fairly drought tolerant. Any thing will need water for the first year, and will spread better will water after that.

sweet woodruff, hosta plantagina (nice fragrantwhite flowers in august)like that lily of the vally idea, lobelias if you have some moisture, some of the spring flowering woodland natives. violets bloom in the shade.
diggerb