What a fabulous opportunity to plant shady loving things... which I suppose does exclude grass. You do need something growing as a ground cover at least to help with erosion. The plants in my area that deal well with dry shade (competition with huge trees tends to keep the soil drier) are: ajuga, hellebores, monkey grass, epimedium. And there are tons of terrific little natives! I'm sure many others out there have more great ideas :) Good luck!

What is the approximate size of your yard? Sometimes it is more difficut to come up with a plan when it is a blank slate than if it already has someting going on.

If it were me I would build some raised beds around the base of the bigger trees and fill them with good quality soil for planting (so as to not disturb the tree's root system). You can easily start off with things like hostas, monkey grass, and impatiens... or even fill the bed with a groundcover like maybe, periwinkle, just to set it aside from the actual "yard". Of course the impatiens won't come back next year... but they offer so much color and beauty to a shady landscape. Especially if it's dark shade the white impatiens will add a touch of "light" to the area.

I've always loved a "bleeding heart" but don't have one myself. Caladiums are beautiful, especially the verigated ones, for a shady spot.

Once you designate a few areas as flowerbeds... then it might be easier for you to visualize grassy areas or a low growing groundcover and a charming path created by mulch or flagstone that would wind from one area of interest to another.

Sketch it out on paper with the approximate size noted and take it to your local nursery for their advice. The possibilities are endless.

No matter what you do... I'm sure it will be beautiful.

Enjoy it... and share photos with us along the way. We all love walking through other people's gardens... even if it is online. :)

Happy gardening!

What a lovely place!

I'm sure the job seems overwhelming, so split it into several smaller projects.

It looks like there is a rock border around the tree in the photo showing the house. There's your first bed. Restack the stone and put in some topsoil.

I would not try to grow a lawn for very obvious reasons. You have spots where weeds don't even grow. Unless you have an irrigation system and are prepared to aerate, fertilize and seed every year, you will be in constant battle with those trees for any moisture. Your soil is eroding so you need to put something in there. You may have to add topsoil to get anything to grow and if you put in some rocks that will slow the rain run off.

Have you thought about trying a monkey grass lawn. Monkey grass grows anywhere and you only need to cut it once each spring. Don't buy it. Look on Craigslist free pages, or make your request on the wanted pages. It isn't easy to walk through but you could put stone pavers or flat rocks and make paths.

Make friends with any gardeners in your new neighborhood. Usually they are friendly folks who are happy to share their plants.

Google dry shade plants for zone 6 and 7. It is amazing how many different plants thrive in these conditions.