Welcome to the Triangle! Best advice I can give is that you make trips to the
Arboretum (near NCSU), the UNC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, etc. to see
just some shade gardening for this area. You might also want to check out Plant
Delights Open House this weekend or next (www.plantdelighs.com) as well.
Another piece of advice would be that several things rated as "full sun" for
cooler zones would toast here and should only get morning sun and afternoon
shade.

As for the roses, I only have one type of shrub rose in my yard. It serves as a
feeding stop for Japanese beetles but is strongly enough to survive. I think
there are probably a lot of other folks out there who don't have roses so
you'll have company with your no-rose zone.

Again, welcome!