Japanese Anemones are tall (pink or white flowers) and happy in shade. Nandina is an evergreen shrub which can grow to 6ft: its leaves turn bronze and red at random times of the year. A good plant for shade is Epimedium: many different shades of leaf to choose from and small but pretty flowers.

So many plants you could choose from, will the border be cast in shade permanently or is it semi shaded, either way two foliage plants that will give you interest through the year and brighten up the border would be Aucuba or Ilex silverqueen, then work a planting scheme round them that gives interest thruoghout the year.

Remember ferns too - there are some beautiful silver leaved ones (eg Athyrium niponicum metallicum)as long as the ground isn't too dry - and there are also a few varieties of fern that don't mind dry ground at all. Foxgloves will be happy there and the old standby Euonymus fortunii for year round colour. Ladies Mantle Alchemilla Mollis likes shade and so do pulmonarias, though they can get a bit mildewed in summer if they get too dry. Snowdrops, daffodils and English bluebells, Solomon's Seal and many of the perennial geraniums some of which are evergreen(look at Long Acre Plant's list for these and lots of other ideas as they specialise in shade plants.) Begonias for summer bedding to brighten things up if needed. If you get any sun at all you have more options.
Just remembered campanulas - the nettle leaved bellflower is a woodland plant and beautiful.

Good ideas Stera. Do you have the nettle leaved bellflower in your garden? We have it, and it IS very pretty, but once you've got it, you've got it everywhere!!

Just make sure you keep the bed fed and watered as the trees will mean there is little of either.

Heres a couple of more that would suffice ,if you want to create some small interesting low growing drifts of interest then hows about Gallium, lovely foliage and dainty white flowers, and a lovely plant that will work well near the front of the border is one of the Brunneras great foliage and lovely blue flowers a little similar to for get me nots, i have some Brunnera [jack frost] under the dappled shade of an Acer works so well and is so beautiful.

Me again - tidying a shelf just now I found a little leaflet called Shady and Dry Border. It came many years ago from Dougal Philip's New Hopetoun Gardens, Hopetown Wood, South Queensferry. I see they now have a website. They may be worth contacting, its a long list and subdivided by height.If no joy PM me and I'll try to scan it for you but don't think it will come out very well. Some new varieties since then (including Jack Frost) but a good start.

Also look at www.plantsforshade.co.uk. It's a small nursery (I can recommend them) which sells plants you might find suitable

Many thanks for the quick responses. Lots of ideas and items to consider.
I will start looking at the options.
To answer one question, I believe the border will be semi shaded. It will get the late afternoon/ evening sun.
Thanks everyone
Stephen

I'm surprised that no-one has asked what sort of trees! This will have a bearing not only on the amount of shade but also the condition of the soil.