Depending on whether or not you have salt air on your garden, most woodland plants of the Northeast should do very well. Most of the gardens of this type that I have seen use Hostas as a foundation plant.
You should include plants that are tolerable with the shade. Dandelions and buttercups are some of the more popular plants that work well in the shade with very little maintenance.
If you are looking for a shade loving plant then you should look into getting lilies and dandelions for the great looking shade plants if you are looking to start your own garden then I would get herbs.
