Shade Loving Shrubs in Maryland

Native Maryland shrubs that handle full shade, meaning less than 3 hours of sun or filtered sunlight a day include: summersweet, blueberry, hydrangea arborescens, pinxterbloom azalea (fragrant), rosebay rhododendron, spicebush, mountain laurel, Virginia sweetspire and winterberry.
There is a terrific book, online, that has info on all these and many others in an easy-to-search format with photos. It's titled, "Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed."

Some non-native plants include Asian azaleas and rhododendrons, aucuba, many hollies and yew. Avoid barberry, as it is getting into the parks and increasing the Lyme-disease tick problem.

ECN