Okay, I take it the bed is at the very back of the carport. I'm trying to picture how the house blocks it on three sides, but anyways you say it gets no "direct sun". Is it pitch black at the bed or does it get some light? Light bounces around (off houses, concrete, the ground, etc). I know I am WAY out of your zone, but I did grow up in OK so I do know the climate (plus I love watching Paul James on HGTV). :) One thing I have picked up from him is that a lot of plants/shrubs that we consider hardy and sun-loving aren't even supposed to grow in your area but he grows them protected under the canopy of his trees. I just ran quickly through one nursery suppliers catalog and these are some of the shrubs that can take full shade: 1. Taxus (Yew) - comes in all shapes and sizes. 2. Stephandra incisa 'Crispa' - Cutleaf Stephandra is a graceful, low spreading plant. Miniature maple-like leaves unfold a reddish -bronze, small white flowers in late May. 2-4' (I love the look of this plant). 3. Rhamnus frangula 'Ron Williams' - "Fine Line" - narrow column, fernlike foliage, non-invasive. 4. Rhodotypos scandens - Black Jetbead - sngelic pure white flowers in June, glossy black, bead-like fruit remains attractive throughout the winter. Performs wonderfully in the shade. 3-6' 5. Ribes alpinum 'Green Jeans' or 'Green Mound' - glossy, rich green leaves and excellent branching, superior summer leaf retention. 3-4' 6. Itea virginica 'Sprich' - "Little Henry" - new, compact sweetspire, pur white flowers in early summer cover this low mounded, compact shrub, vibrant fall color even more than the burning bush. 24-36" by 3' wide. 7. Kerria japonica - (Japanese Kerria) - many varieties, white or yellow flowers (single and double), colorful green stems for winter interest, sizes range from 3' to 5' 8. Euonymus fortunei - many varieties - cream & green leaves or gold & green - mounding, spreading, or climbing types - sizes range from 18" to 3'. (great splash of color for a shady spot... and evergreen). 9. Diervilla lonicera 'Copper' - Bush Honeysuckle - copper-red new growth, yellow flowers mid-summer, great for dry sites. 2'-3' 10. Diervilla sesslifolia 'Butterfly'- rich yellow flowers held in upright clusters from May to July, foliage is bright green and clean, well-branched, never floppy like other culivars, adaptable to dry shady locations. 3'-5' 11. Buxus microphylla 'Faulkner' - glossy foliage, one of the very best boxwood for milder climates. 2-3' (all the Boxwood listed as full sun to full shade). 12. Azaleas and Rhododendrons - both like being under trees in hotter climates and there are tons of varieties and sizes. That is just a few of the shrubs for shade. Paul James has many of the dwarf evergreens that wouldn't normally survive your heat and he plants them under his trees. I believe he also has some varieties of Japanese Maple in the shade. Perennials: 1. Heuchera Palace Purple 2. Hosta 3. Lamium (groundcover) 4. Japanese Painted Fern (actually most ferns) 5. Heucherella Sunspot 6. Athyrium Silver Falls 7. Brunnera Jack Frost 8. Tiarella - very tolerant of heat, drought, humidity and poor soil. Great color for shade. 9. Gaultheria procumbens (Creeping Wintergreen) 10. Caladiums - full to part shade - many colors & sizes. 11. Cornus canadensis - Bunchberry - miniature dogwood z2-7 showy white flowers in late spring, scarlet berries in summer and whorled leaves that blush crimson in fall, plant in shade. 10"T by 24"W 12. Tricyrtis - Toad Lily - several varieties, shade-loving, Orchid-like blooms in fall. 13. Heleborus - Lenten Rose - winter blooming. 14. Convallaria - Lily-of-the-Valley 15. Dicentra - Bleeding Hearts 16. Cardamine pratensis 'Flore Pleno' (beautiful) Annuals: 1. Jungle Gold Impatiens (must have full shade) 2. Dragon Wing Begonias 3. Coleus (some need shade, some want full sun) I have already made this long enough so if you go to the link below to plantbynumber.com and you will see some great ideas for annuals for shade. These are in containers but many can be put in the bed. Also, you can always tuck a pot/trough/barrel in a flower bed...on the ground or raised up on a pedestal...or use a tall urn...or some hanging baskets above the bed. Anyways there are tons and tons of plants...but at least now you have a lot to look up and think about. Wayside Gardens has a lot of the plants listed and more. Their website is: www.waysidegardens.com Here is a link that might be useful: Beautiful Shade Containers

My understanding is that it needs shade to deep shade and moisture in the summer. Without moisture in particular, it will disappear. I just got one tonight. Excited to give it a go in my Z9 garden! (Will need to make sure I give it more water than we typically get in the summer here).

Hi Amazin , sorry I'm new at this web stuff ( mostly just a lurker) and couldn't find were I wrote to you the 1st time ... me feel so dumb with this puter stuff... but yes I have 9 begonias and 6 are from Logee's, some are named and other are ( pass a along's ) ..... Named ones= Begonia " Richardsiana" B." Snow Capped " B. "Tea Rose" B. "Hot Tamale" B. "Good and Plenty " B, "Tiny Gem " B. " Silver Queen " The Richardsiana has in pass week took a big flop , and so not sure whats up with it , taken it back into house , hope it was just heat stroking from 100 + daze we have been in for pass couple of weeks here in nastyville , so not sure about it. Two other's unknown named ones but pretty just the same and last one I think mite be B. " Sophia Cecile " not sure. I see you have " My Special Angel " have been looking at it in the catalogs . sorry I'm so long winded.... but sure there must be something in your long list that we can work with . P.s. I wont make it to any plant swap so..... not sure how we would do this if we've a mind to ???? But thanks for your time and effort if thats the only way .

It sounds like you have a reasonable depth of soil for many plants to work there. Small Hosta as suggested above would work well. Astilbe chinensis doesn't seem to need quite as much water, so here the foliage looks great all summer with additional water only in dry weather. Hakonechloa macra/Japanese forest grass, especially the gold foliaged ones, will show up well and add light to the area. IME Pulmonareas/lungworts vary a good deal in size . . . one I have is probably 18" across and it's only starting its second season. Japanese painted ferns come in a range of foliage colors and are well-behaved IME. Brunnera choose one with a reputation for having healthy, frosted foliage European or US wild ginger (Asarum) has a range of green or frosted foliage that ranges from slightly fuzzy to rather shiny, depending on the variety. Hellebores have really early spring flowers. Veronica 'Georgia Blue' will weave around all the other plants, but not overwhelm any of them. Iris cristata is a shade-loving native iris that blooms white or blue-purple in spring. Perhaps some of the more rugged Heucheras/coral bells, Tiarella/foamy bells, or their cross, Heucherellas. Mukdenia is a tidy little shade lover with white spring flowers and bright crimson fall color. Phlox divaricata is a spring-blooming woodland phlox that flowers blue or white. Epimediums are available in ground cover and clumping forms. Early spring flowers, and often interesting leaves. Consider using a combination of a few different foliage textures and colors that are repeated down the bed so that there is interest even when nothing is blooming.