total shade plants for zone 9

My sister has a very shaded patio with a planting area around it. Really shady. Hostas don't do well down here. We want something more than just ivy.... Suggestions??

Ooooh, you have lots of options:

Pulmonaria
Cyclamen
Primula
Disporum
Phygelius
Ligularia dentata
Acanthus mollis
Viola/Violet
Astilbe
Hydrangea (some)
Clematis
Brunnera
Dicentra
Polygonatum
Cimicifuga

And others will pipe in with more.

Kathy

If you want just foliage and have the space, cast iron plant is a good backdrop plant. They require full shade to look their best. Mine gets just a small amount of sun and shows the sunburn. Here is a link:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/606/

Nice list kathy. Letr's add farfugium (spotted leopard plant),hellebores, ferns - my favorite is mother fern but you have a wide range of choices depending on the look you want. Lady fern is an old toughy but beautiful. Hydrangea seemannii (climing evergreen hydrangea) grows in total shade here. Japanese Maples are also an idea. Another fern that grows really well in heavy shade is Polystichum setiferium divisilobum. You can get it easily on line. Tiarellas are really pretty too and bloom very early in the spring. Hosta plantaginea is happy in zone 9b too and it's flowers are really fragrant. It's just green but it's such a nice shape. I'll bet you anything that someone from the hosta forum would trade you some for something.
I've had cast iron plant and got rid of it. It really needs to be in total shade not to get sunburn. although I'm sure it's beautiful where it doesn't burn.
kurume azaleas grow really well in the shade and also camellias.