Hi Timothy,

Thanks for reaching out to Ask Extension with your questions about native plants!

Most of the native plants for our region are going to do best in full sun but there are some that can do OK in part shade or adapt to full shade (over time).

Here are some native perennials that can tolerate shade:
Jacob’s ladder, Polemonium caeruleum
Colorado Columbine, Aquilegia caerulea
Spiderwort, Tradescantia occidentalis

Here are some native shrubs that can do OK in shade:

Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus sericea

Waxflower, Jamesia americana
Buffaloberry, Shepherdia canadensis

Here is more information about various Native plants for Colorado:

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-shrubs-for-colorado-landscapes-7-422/

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-herbaceous-perennials-for-colorado-landscapes-7-242/

The Colorado Native Plant Society will be a good resource for you if you plan to create a native plant garden. I'm including their link below for their website, and you can scroll down to the tab "Where to buy native plants" to look for reputable vendors for natives.

https://conps.org/home-2/resources/gardening-with-native-plants/

I hope this helps!

Dawn