Nothing to do with dry shade but I wanted to share this little beauty with you. This is Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin' (usually marketed as reticulata group but actually a cross between I. winowgradowii and I. histriodes) growing in the gravel plunge bed at Houghall. Iris reticulata is a bulbous spring flowering Iris native to Iran and Turkey which gives you some idea of the conditions it prefers - dry, well drained and in full sun. It spreads slowly by division (I have never known it set seed but it may away from north east England) which take two or three years to come to flowering size. There are many different cultivars, a quick google image will bring them up, 'Harmony' and 'Joyce' are two that spring to mind. They come in various colours but in my opinion 'Katharine' is the best of the bunch.

Houghall Plant Centre sells Iris reticulata bulbs in the Autumn

Snowdrop (Galanthus species)

An excellent plant for growing under shrubs and trees because it flowers, sets seed, and stores food for the following year before the leaves above it have fully unfurled. (Apart from one, Galanthus reginae-olgae, which is autumn flowering). Galanthus nivalis is the best for naturalising, it spreads by seed and offshoots to produce a white carpet in February. Most authorities suggest snowdrops are best planted in the green, ie while still in leaf, but I have found that bulbs bought from a reputable supplier, who doesn't allow them to dry out, can be successfully planted dry. Most garden centres sell pots of snowdrops in early spring which can be hardened off and planted outside. Plant dry bulbs at a depth of twice their size (a useful rule of thumb for most bulbs) and "green" plants at their previous planting depth. Clumps will need dividing and replanting when they become congested - a good indication is when the bulbs rise to the soil's surface.

Snowdrops such as 'Lady Elphinstone' and 'Magnet' need, I think, to be planted somewhere where their markings and scent can be appreciated so I would suggest a raised bed rather than under shrubs/trees. Any good gardening encyclopedia will show pictures of the snowdrop cultivars but be warned - some of the rarer types sell for over £100 a bulb!

Houghall Plant Centre is selling snowdrops (species and cultivars) at £1 to £5 a pot