I would walk around the neighborhood to see what shrubs are doing well,then pick one. Also my rhododendrons are only feed once after they flower.They are growing very well.The most important thing is to plant them as the direction say. Water very well until the roots set.This is the best time to plant before it gets to hot.

The first thing you should think about is whether you want flowers, foiage or a mixture of both. As camilla recommended, walk around your neighbourhood and see what others grow. It's the best way to find out what is hardy for your area. I have several Saskatoon berry shrubs. They have small white flowers in spring, edible berries in summer and gorgeous red, yellow, or orange foliage in the fall. For a longer bloom period, I would recommend Weigela. I have 'Red Prince', 'Pink Princess' and 2 variegated foliage varieties. Beware that the rabbits do like them so I cage mine in the fall til they get bigger. Daphnes are great for variegated foliage and scent. I like 'Carol Mackie'. This one is on my list to get. Marg

Hello Prairie clover:
I am new to shrubs myself. In fact,yesterday was my first time buying shrubs! I am digging my very first flower bed at the front of the house and decided I needed shrubs.
I'm curious why you're against lilacs? Is there some pest, or something undesirable about lilacs that I should know about? Or is it the fragrance? I bought myself 2 lilacs yesterday. 'Sensation' (white edged pink/purple) and 'Prince Charming' for under my daughter's window. My original thinking was to get something fragrant for under her window. Now I'm wondering if she'll hate the fragrance! Ah well.
My other flowering part shade shrubs are:
Weigela
Diablo ninebark
MockOrange

The shrubs I love and that have done well in this cold zone 3 are: PeeGee Hydrangea, Canada Red or Miss Canada red lilac, Snowball (a vibrunum) Miss Kim lilac, The Morden Roses from Canada, Mock Orange,Annabelle Hydrangea, several different Potentillas, HIghbush Cranberry, Blueberries, Red-Twig Dogwood, Honeysuckles (these grew wild on our land, but make a nice shrub), nearly all of these do well and are extra lovely when in bloom. Good Luck! Be sure that what you buy are entirely hardy in zone 3.

Sorry for the late reply it's been a busy few weeks. Thanks for the suggestions! I bought a Black Elderberry, so we'll see what happens. I wanted something different, and minimal risk on the pocket book (only $10 as opposed to $20+), plus I loved that it attracts birds. I'm new to shrubs so hopefully I don't mess things up.

Mitanoff, I didn't want lilacs because there are a ton around here (too many in my opinion) and I just think they are over done. There are beautiful, but there are more shrubs in the world then just lilacs.

Thanks for all the tips, I'll keep you posted as to how it goes!

How about euonymus or ilex? I've found that rhododendrums tend to grow better in shade. They can get huge though under the right conditions, so you may not want something that big.