The fall planting season is almost upon us, so why not let one of these great shade perennials brighten up a dark corner of your garden?

Goat's Beard, Aruncus dioicus, grows well in light to medium shade, preferably afternoon shade, and moist, well-drained soil. It blooms in early summer with tall, creamy white flower heads, which resemble larger versions of the flowers of Astilbe. This plant reaches a mature height of 6 feet, with a spread of 4-6 feet, so give it plenty of room to grow or place it at the back of the flower border. Some of the cultivated varieties are smaller, and should be used in landscapes with limited space. The leaves are light green, compound leaves are prone to scorching on the edges if the plant does not receive sufficient moisture or too much sun. Hardy to Zone 3.

• Child of Two Worlds'- Height 4'; shorter, more airy form with pendulous, white flowers
• Kneiffii'- Height 3'; finely cut, fern-like foliage; creamy, white flowers
• A. aethusifolius (Dwarf Goat's Beard)- Height 12"; deeply cut, dark green foliage; creamy, white flowers

Lenten Rose, Helleborus orientalis, is one of the most attractive, early flowering plants and is so easy to grow that no landscape should be without it. The foliage is semi-evergreen with dark green, leathery leaves that are divided into several serrated segments. The purple, pink or cream colored flowers are nodding and cup-shaped, 3-4" across and last for 8-10 weeks. Because the flowers appear during cool weather, often from February to May, they last for an exceptionally long time. Plants reach a height of 15" with a similar spread. Lenten rose requires moist, well-drained soil with high organic matter content, and light to intermittent shade. Hardy to Zone 5.

Meadowsweet, Filipendula sp., is a genus of plants that were originally part of the Spiraea family and are often still referred to as False Spirea. The plants have alternate, lobed leaves that provide a contrasting coarse texture to the perennial garden. The inflorescence consists of small white or pink flowers held above the foliage in large, showy panicles. Plant height ranges from 2-6 feet depending on the cultivar. Meadowsweet requires moist, well-drained soil with high organic matter content, and light to intermittent shade.

F. rubra, known as Queen-of-the-Prairie, is native to the eastern and central U.S. and is known to support itself well even in high winds. It also produces large pink flower heads from summer till fall, but it's imposing size, 6-8 feet, can limit it's use in smaller home landscapes. Below are more cultivars worth trying. Hardy to Zone 3.

• F. rubra 'Venusta'- Height 6-8 feet; deep pink to carmine flowers
• F. ulmaria- Height 3-4 feet; creamy-white fragrant flowers
• F. vulgaris- Height 2 feet; misty clusters of ivory flowers; finely textured, fern-like foliage