Hello Bluebonnet,

NO GRASS!!!!
You're after my own heart.
(If it were up to me I'd have not one stitch of it)

First off, here's some really good reading of Bill's here from the main part of The Garden Helper....
Ground Cover Plants which Grow in the Shade

My first one to think of in that area is my own personal taste and testimony is Mrs. Moon. (Pulminaria, Lungwort's) They are the nicest plants...They are lovely in the spring, when they first come up, little leaves, long. slendar, this one variety has tiny white or grayish silver dots on it, quite cute, and the flowers are beautiful.
pictures of Lungworts There's about 4 or 5 pictures, click the single arrow to the left.
These are not Mrs. Moon, but in the ballpark of her. But there is soooooooo many different varieties of those, it's unbelieveable. Some tiny little things, and some of a reasonable sized clump if you let them naturalize.
Mine have done that and it's a nice size self clumping plant, and they are great in a wet or moist area, I think that keeps them blooming a bit longer in the spring. (and if you pick the flowers that'll prolong them flowering as well)
And my other personal favorite is Corydalis,
Corydalis it comes in purple, blue, yellow, and I think there's whites' and reds' too. They are so delicate.
And yet another one is Pulsatilla
That has about 3 or 4 pictures, click the single arrow to the right, I believe.

There is such a choice of more..
I'll think up some more for you, but there's alot of reading there for you!!

Weezie

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Did I hear no grass! WONDERFUL!! I am slowly getting rid of all the grass in my entire yard.

I really like the plants weezie mentioned.

And every good garden has a seat of some kind.

Woodland wildflowers would be a natural! The wildflowers are some my favorite.

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Newt,

I really liked the examples of the hucheras that you posted! I haven't been too acquainted with hucheras so I wasn't aware of all the color variations.

Barb

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Hi Barb,
Glad you liked the heucheras. The bleeding heart is a great idea too!

Newt

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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. We are still checking all the links for information. Once we thaw a bit, we will truly test the soil in front for drainage and pH. I would expect acidic soil with the number of old spruce in the front but we will test. Equally, while the soil is very sandy it seems to hold water in some spots. We will dig a few holes and test it. It was good to read the information on your site. Thanks for the links.

So far we've selected Christmas Rose and Monkshood because they are also deer resistant. We may also move some bleeding heart from the back that we discovered last year (New home for us and we enjoyed watch the surprises sprout from the yard last year). The bleeding heart in the backyard are the largest I've ever seen - four feet tall.

Thanks to all for your feedback.

Bluebonnet, are there any local mom and pop garden shops in your area? That would be a good place to start.

With the heucheras you might be able to find the more common ones at some of the larger garden centers. Many of these are not your ordinary generic type plants, but every once in a while Franks and Lowe`s have some very different plants.

That link to the Helleborus is wonderful!!

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I posted twice, how do I fix that and my gramatical errors? I'm very new to posting.

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Once in a while you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right

Monkshood can be obtained as seeds or plants almost anywhere. It's often listed as Aconite or Aconitum. Keep this one away from kids and food plants. It is deadly.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. We just ordered a large number of Christmas Rose and Monkshood from a supply house in Chicago. I'll get the name and send it later. Starts with a G.

We don't spend too much time on the internet so it there may be a bit of time between posts, but your input is much appreciated. We are sort of novices at this stage but love building the garden.

Spring is teasing us here in New York with temperatures around 60 degrees today.

OK all you Yankees!

Does anyone have info on naturalizing plants that grow well in the shade in zone 8b?

We have mostly woodlands. Just a very narrow strip of St. Augustine grass at the street. My husband can mow it in two trips across!

Helps us blend in better with our neighbors' golf course lawns and sterile landscaping!

It's too hot in our summers for most of the plants you've discussed.

Thanks to all for your advice. We have been offline at home for many weeks and I could not send messages for some reason from the office (guess someone thought I should be working).

We planted a large number of Christmas Rose, Bleeding Heart (two varieties) and Monkshood with a bit of pachysandra here and there. We'll see what takes and plant more next year. We were careful with the christmas rose and monkshood (poisonous) but can't wait to see them develop.

Thanks to all for your input.

Thanks Weezie,

I'll check into getting a few of these also. Still early enough to experiment and lots of space. Thanks for all your help.

Jeff

Lynne, I love Lily of the Valley......very nice scent......my dad dug some up this year and shared it with me.....not overwhelmingly beautiful, but like you said it is worth it for the fragrance alone.....