Hello! I am new to Alabama and to gardening in general. I have a hillside in my backyard that is that typical sandy red soil I see everywhere here. It gets a lot of drainage, especially in heavy rain. You can see the water tracks, and previous owners have tried to block the runoff from yards further up by putting plastic at the base of the fence.I would rather landscape it in as natural a way possible. It receives mostly shade all day, as it is under our neighbors very large trees (which also drop hundreds of tiny round nuts in that area).

Basically, I need plants that are low-maintenance, will tolerate sandy soil and shade, are relatively inexpensive, and will not be appealing to my small children. I hope to use the plant bed to help keep my kids away from all those tiny nuts, as well disguise an area of the yard where grass will not grow.

I was thinking cast iron plants and some kind of hostas (if they grown in sandy soil?). Any help would be appreciated.\

Thanks!!!