Many gardeners choose perennials to plant in their yards to add color and create a low maintenance garden space. Perennials are great because they have color that pops in the spring, summer, or fall, then die back for the winter and repeat the next season.
Here at Moodscapes we like to create unique, low maintenance gardens that will enhance any garden space. We use perennials to bring out the colors of trees and other shrubs planted in the yard. Two of our favorite perennials add color without any flower blooms. They are tall with dark leaves and stems. Both of these perennials add great contrast to the typical flowering plant found in front and back yard gardens.
The first of our favorites is the Hillside Black Beauty
Common Name: Hillside Black Beauty Bugbane 
Botanical Name: Actaea ramosa 'Hillside Black Beauty'
Family: Ranunculaceae
Light: sun/part shade
Height: 48-60"
Bloom: Sept-Oct
Spacing: 48"
Color: creamy white
Zones: 4-9 (Great for Massachusetts!)
Features: Choice Actaea with 'nearly black' purple foliage. This is the darkest cultivar available to date! Bugbanes are large showy woodland perennials that prefer a moist rich acidic soil. They have a Japanese form, with almost layered branches, divided leaves, and tall showy flower racemes. Wait 3-4 years for full size, but these are one of the queens of the shady garden. Care tips: For winter interest, leave seedheads. Cut back to the ground in early spring.
The second favorite is the Black Negligee
Common Name: Black Negligee Bugbane 
Botanical Name: Actaea simplex 'Black Negligee'
Family: Ranunculaceae
Light: sun/shade
Height: 48-60"
Bloom: Aug-Sept
Spacing: 48"
Color: creamy white
Zones: 4-9
Features: A vigorous bugbane with exotic flower fragrance and dark stems. The lacy black foliage gets even darker in full sun. Care tips: For winter interest, leave seedheads. Cut back to the ground in early spring. Bugbanes are large showy woodland perennials that prefer a moist rich acidic soil. They have a Japanese form, with almost layered branches, divided leaves, and tall showy flower racemes. Wait 3-4 years for full size, but these are one of the queens of the shady garden.
For a great list of perennials available for planting in Massachusetts, check out Van Berkum Nursery on the web.