I agree there is not enough sun to grow full sun heat lovers like eggplants, tomatoes and most other veg and herbs. So pick some shade tolerant perennials or annuals - hostas, ferns, heucheras, impatiens, begonias, coleus, etc.

Hydrangeas, hostas and ferns would be perfect there!

Hosta, heucheras, solomon seal, or ferns. They are shade loving plans and come in so many different color variation, sizes, and textures so you can get quite a bit of variety going.

Here are some shady side path gardens.

Shade Garden mid Spring (low maintenance) · More Info

Pools, Patios, and Walkways · More Info

Milton Residence · More Info

Before planting I think I'd want to relay the path and make it the same width as the gate. (If budget allows.) At the moment it is uneven and a bit narrow for wheeling things (trash cans?) in and out. Then go with the shade plants suggested. Welsh poppies would work there too and bring some jolly yellow to the gloom. Welsh poppy and hosta in shade:

You could probably do chives, both regular and garlic, but it's very little space. I'd put in some Tiarella and be done with it.

Gardengal, endless summer hydrangeas will fit perfectly there. Mine are thriving in a much narrower space with little to no pruning so my suggestion was based on experience.

We aren't told the width of the bed on the left, but, using the gate to get a sense of scale, it would appear to be around 2 feet wide. That really isn't wide enough for hydrangeas ime. They can get to 5ft wide.

Perhaps the OP could give us some dimensions.

Thank you all so much for tbe suggestions! The bed on left is about 2 feet wide, so it’s pretty narrow.

Right. So definitely too narrow for Hydrangeas.

" Gardengal, endless summer hydrangeas will fit perfectly there. Mine are thriving in a much narrower space with little to no pruning so my suggestion was based on experience. "

Then your obviously limited experience is not at all representational. A mature Endless Summer hydrangea can be 5'x5' and in conducive climates, even get quite a bit larger. Only in cold climates where hydrangea macrophyllas die back to the ground in winter could they even remotely fit into a 2' wide planting bed. And only for a few months at that.

"Fit perfectly"?? No effing way!! 2' wide is not enough room for any hydrangeas, even dwarf ones!!

Here are a few ideas:

LOL!! That's the issue with online photoshopped renderings. You can get any plant to fit anywhere!!

The wider bed is only 2 feet. So that rendering has managed to squeeze 3 Ninebarks into a strip about 18" wide.

The ferns and Heuchera are a bit more believable.

6A can differ widely depending where you are. If you are in the USA, look up your state's agricultural extension services for suggestions for plants native to your area. Look for natives that grow well in dry shade, because your narrow beds will be a pain to water. As a bonus you will be helping native wildlife such as pollinators.

For example https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/dry-shade

Good point about the zone. Those numbers only refer to average minimum winter temps. They say nothing about summer temps or precipitation. If you only look at my zone I'm equivalent to parts of Florida, which is patently absurd. And summer temps in 6 can be far higher than here in a theoretical 8.

Geographical location is a more useful guide to growing conditions.

It should be fairly easy to go to a nursery, find the shade section, and pick plants that don't get so big that they encroach on the walkway.

The smallest Ninebark cultivars grow to at least double the width of the right hand bed. I'd prefer to discuss practical gardening, rather than trade insults.

ETA the post to which I was responding has been removed.

Come on now, everyone here is trying to be helpful.

OP, please measure the widths of the beds and of the paths. Know that when you shop as a store for your shade plants you will need to look at the tag for width of the plant spread and consider that.

Also, ninebarks - Physocarpus - in addition to growing larger than the area can accommodate, are not very happy in much shade. This is a full sun to partial or dappled shade plant and too much shade will affect flowering and foliage color....the only reasons to grow it.

If we want to get snarky, it's better to actually know something about plants instead of just using computer software to conjure up unrealistic images.

The side beside the house where the rocks are is under the eaves and must be quite dry. Rather than encouraging the OP to water next to the foundation, I'd prefer they choose plants suited to dry shade like geranium macrorhizum, hellebores or epimediums.

Gardengal is in my zone and she has been very helpful in guiding me with plant selection in the past. I'm an experienced gardener and I've asked for that type of help specifically. The suggested plants are also readily available to me.

There's often no point in suggesting specific plants for inquiries here. We don't know what's available where they live and how much effort they're willing to go to to find the suggested plant. They could just go to a local nursery and have the employees help with selection. Many probably just go to the big box stores. That's why in many cases it's better to suggest they visit a nursery instead of recommending specific plants.

thank you everyone for your help! We couldnt have done it without your awesome suggestions. we went with ferns, heucheras and ornamental grass. we trimmed the beds with some extra bricks we had. ran out of mulch for the front of the left bed, will be adding some more. Looking for a bird bath to add between the ferns.

What a nice use of your space. I think it will look great as it grows in.