First, take inventory and decide which plants you want to keep in your garden, or which ones you definitely want to plant. Be sure to plan for a few eye-catching features, whether it's a solitary tree, a stately perennial, a garden shed, or a pond. If you like the exotic, you can choose a banana plant or even a bamboo grove as a focal point. However, non-hardy species should be kept in a pot so you can bring them indoors for protection from the weather in winter.

Start by assigning a worthy spot to these eye-catchers, and only then arrange complementary plants so they don't hide your garden's treasures, but instead further emphasize them.

You have a large selection of very decorative species. Hydrangeas, rhododendrons, ferns, azaleas, ivy, bleeding hearts, fuchsias, foxgloves, and even some garden orchid species can tolerate a shady existence without harm, and some will spoil observers with magnificent blooms.

Unusual plants that can also enrich your kitchen are worth a try. Stevia, wild garlic, and even Japanese horseradish (Wasabi) tolerate shade very well. And what do you think about cultivating your own mushrooms? Nowadays, you can easily purchase pre-inoculated logs and straw bales and install them perfectly in your garden.

For snack lovers big and small, you can also plant blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, or currants. And even apple trees usually have no problems with partially shaded to shady locations.

When designing, ensure you don't create any areas in your garden with poor air circulation where the soil can't dry out sufficiently. This would lead to excessive acidification, inviting mold and other fungal diseases into your garden. For example, it might be more sensible to set up a pavilion rather than a wind-sheltered wooden shed with closed walls.

If such a wet area already exists in your garden, you can optimize it before you start planting successfully. If it's not possible to bring light into this dark spot, you can generously remove the soil and create a well-drained mound in its place, which you can then plant accordingly.

Alternatively, you can turn a necessity into a virtue and create a pond or a water feature in that very spot. With fish or even toad populations, you'll also keep pests away and further enliven your shade garden.