This is a list I made (note that water requirements are not listed and therefore you'll need to do a little research) Also this list was compiled for a friend, hence the notes; please disregard if seems silly:

Shade Plants:

Shrubs:
Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) NEEDS WATER
Buxus ("Boxwood")
Daphne
Enkianthus
Euonymous (any)
Hydrangea (any) NEEDS WATER
Ilex ("Holly")
Rhododendron/Azalea (Deciduous or Evergreen)
Symphoricarpos ("Snowberry" Â birds love this shrub for itÂs attractive & edible white berries)
Tsuga canadensis ("Hemlock") Tons of cultivars  all are suited for shade. Cultivars with color will do very well.

Ground Covers:
Vinca ("Periwinkle") Â very vining, not my favorite but very useful and better than "Ivy"

Perennials/Bulbs:
Aconitum ("Monkshood")
Ajuga ("Carpet Bugle") Â Great plants! Tons of color variation available and they spread/multiply
Alchemilla ("LadyÂs Mantle")
Anemone ("Windflower") Real nice perennials!
Aquilegia ("Columbine") Too are very nice perennials and they multiply readily dispersing seeds
Astilbe ("False Spirea") Great perennial (perennial means it comes back every year)
Begonia  an annual  meaning itÂs a one season planting that doesnÂt come back each year.
Bergenia  Big leaved Perennial  decent plant
Campanula ("Bellflower") Â some take shade.
Coleus  an annual but very tropical looking and will reseed (comeback)  billions of them
Convallaria majalis ("Lily of The Valley) Â personally I hate this plant because it multiplies too fast.
Dicentra ("Bleeding Heart")  Perennial  my mom loves these.
Digitalis ("Foxglove")  A must! They multiply by seed and pop up randomly  great plant!
Ferns  (any)  try like "Japanese Painted Fern"  itÂs striking!
Geranium ("Cranesbill) best color perennial you can get! A VERY must! Get only the ÂCranesbill"
Heuchera ("Coral Bells") Â Fantastic Plants! Check the internet for the gobs of different ones! GREAT!
Hosta  A person could use hosta alone there are so many different ones.
Impatiens (annuals  do not come back each year but have color all spring, summer and fall)
Iris  ÂSword-like foliage and short lived flowers but the foliage spikes are nice for variety.
Lamium maculatum ("Dead Nettle") Â some good ones.
Lilium (Lily) load up on these!
Lysmachia ("MoneywortÂ) Â Great
Myosotis ("Forget Me Not") Great BLUE perennial that blooms in Spring.
Tradescantia ("Spiderwort") Good Bloomers! Many colors  Perennial
Viola (Pansy)

Here are a few more!

Late winter, early spring:

Witch hazel - Hamamelis x intermedia - Diane is a nice red, blooms for a long period in late winter, and can be kept shrub-sized or let to grow larger.

Dawn Viburnum - V. bodnantense 'Dawn' blooms (pink) at about the same time; if zapped by frost some of the flowers recover, others don't.

Spice bush - Lindera benzoin, yellow blooms in March

Late summer/Fall:

Sweet pepper bush - Clethra alnifolia - fragrant white or pink blooms in mid to late summer

Seven Son Flower - Heptacodium miconioides - late summer, white.
Hardy Beauty Berry - Callicarpa bodinieri - pink flowers, violet-purple berries that remain attractive for a long time

Oak-Leaf Hydrangea - H. quercifolia - white flowers turn pink as they age. very tolerant of adverse conditions

Summersweet and sweetspire (depending upon how much shade there is).

I'll second the oak leaf hydrangea and various viburnums. Viburnum Judii, Maresi, Buckthorn, are all good candidates.
Elaine