The first (non-bulb) flowers to bloom in my garden are the Pulmonaria. I don't have a lot of shade, but I like them so much that I grow them in the sun and they look great in the spring. (Not so great in the heat of summer unless I remember to keep them watered.) I love the look of the leaves, even when they are not in flower.
Pasque flowers are beautiful. They come in mauve and white, and the seed pods are interesting (like those of clematis).
Primroses are obvious.
Bleeding Hearts are gorgeous, but they need shade too. I have some Dutchmen's Britches, much shorter, and related to Bleeding Hearts. They are so sweet, but ephemeral.
Tiarella is pretty and the leaves look good when they are not in flower.
Forget-me-nots are great, and self-seed with abandon (which is a good thing, as they are easy to pull up if the appear in the wrong place.)
There are some beautiful Hellebores out there too (another shade-loving plant).
I really, really LOVE Spurge. They form beautiful clumps and the leaves turn from green to yellow.
Azaleas are lovely, but the deer like them too much.
Camelias are gorgeous. Several neighbors have them and I enjoyed seeing them in bloom this spring.
Come to think of it, I really love my spring garden
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Linda