building a rockery in a shady area

Hi and welcome to GoY rockery/alpine plants grow on open exposed mountain areas and therefore need lots of sunshine. A rockery in a shady area of your garden is not going to be able to be planted with rock garden plants you'l need to use shade loving/woodland plants.

Agree with Moongrower - shady area is not a good place for a rockery.

And if there are trees giving the shade, cleaning the leaves out of the rocks is going to be a big chore!

Oh lord yes!

I think if that's the only place for your rockery then go ahead. As well as other things I'd plant small campanulas - I find they're tenacious in shade even if they'd rather be in the sun, and may be a bit "spready". If the shade comes from trees small bulbs will be able to flower in spring. I'd choose crocuses and mini daffs, puschkinia and smaller species of scilla. Native primroses (not the big showy polyanthus) would do well and so would dwarf ferns. I've just discovered Erythoniums and they are wonderful in shade. Cyclamen hederifolium have dainty flowers from now until winter, then C.coum could take over from winter into spring. Both have beautiful marbled foliage that dies off in summer and reappears as the flowers are finishing. Lovely!

Maybe Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla striata), Miniature Hostas, or Penstemon pinifolius?

Sorry I still do not see a shady area as one for alpine plants. Use your riased bed for something different and please do not create a plum pudding rockery no matter what you plant :-)

I think you can have a rockery without using alpines, if your definition of "alpines" is that they have to have sun. If your garden is all or mostly shady you make the most of that and if you want small plants in an area with rocks to add interest, that's a shady rockery, to me.

I spent 17 years gardening on a steep (1 in 2) hillside (3 1/2 acres) under trees and have found plants that will grow on a hillside with miniature terraces. Call it a rockery if you like. if there's no sun available you may envy people who can grow every alpine (by your definition) under the sun but you get on and grow what will survive under your more challenging conditions.

So carry on, Lrajakrishnen, go for it!