If your garden lacks sunshine, don't give up on colour. Just think in terms of foliage rather than flowers. Here are some suggestions.
Hostas - hardy perennials of the lily family-bear leaves in muted shades of blue, gold, green and white, with many interesting variegated forms. They thrive in a damp woodland setting. Many have attractive flowers and a few are sweetly scented.
Vivid ground covers include the ornamental white dead nettles (Lamium album) with silver and green foliage and the variegated grass like lily Liriope muscari 'Variegata', with leaves that are striped with green and white.
Periwinkles, or vincas, are excellent shade plants, growing in quite damp conditions but being equally tolerant of drought once well established. Most have blue starry flowers, but there are some with mauve and white blossoms. The common kinds have green foliage, but there are some lovely variegated varieties as well.
