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Help! How do I prune my roses?
There are a couple of shrubs that do really well in shade and still stay fairly dense. One is Fatsia japonica (Japanese aralia). Another good one is Aucuba japonica. Both of these will do well if you provide a moderate amount of water, but they don't take a lot. They may appear to be water hogs, but really, once they're established they do quite well here. They don't have too many disease and insect problems to deal with so they are a good choice for our shady areas.
Another name for Aucuba and some forms of it with speckled foliage are called Gold Dust Plant.
For a native plant in shady areas, consider American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). It's not a good screen, since it's deciduous, but it does well in very dry shade areas. Along with not needing much water, it attracts birds to its late fall and winter berries.
Visit CTG's Resources for more plants for shade.
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