Plants to lift the gloom Carex ‘Ice Dance’

Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Cristata’ AGm

A crested form of the male fern that creates a wonderland of green fronds when planted in a dry shady border. It provides the perfect backdrop for flowering plants. H: 20-39in (50cm-1m). Evergreen, this sedge forms a mound of narrow glossy green leaves that are edged with a thin strip of white, causing it to shimmer in deep shade. Tough, reliable and spreading. H: 1ft (30cm).

Liriope muscari ‘Okina’

A ghostly lilyturf whose white strappy foliage gradually morphs to green, and is teamed with spikes of purple autumn flowers. Looks good with Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’. H: 26in (35cm).

Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’ AGm

A dry shade must-have, this lungwort illuminates with its ice-white flowers in March and April. The silver-speckled foliage adds interest throughout the rest of the year. H: 1ft (30cm).

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae AGm

This spreading spurge loves parched shade. It is at its best in April, when the evergreen foliage is topped with limegreen flower bracts. H: 20in (50cm).

Anemanthele lessoniana AGm

New Zealand wind grass is a mass of leaves that are green in spring, turning to a lovely burnished bronze in autumn. Plants last about five years, but will often self-seed. H: 20-39in (50cm-1m).