Hi Stacey,

I live in the Memphis area also and have only been a member here for a few months. I did attend the spring plant swap which was great! I got many plants from people even though all I had was tomato plants.

There is so much you can do with the shade you say you have in the front yard. Azaleas do well in the shade as well as hostas. Its great to not have to mow and battle that bermuda grass that most of us have to. Just take a look around some of the neighborhoods. There are some great shade yards on the west side of Estate just off Poplar a few blocks. They are almost exclusively azaleas with large landscaped areas. But there are many more things you can also do. I'm sure many other people can give you ideas as well.

Katie

Good luck to you in your planting..Katie, thank you for answering this young ladys question..Let us all see the need to do more of this..
I have a real love affair with Hosta and Brugs..will be happy to share with you..Plant Hosta in the shade and Brugs..aka Angel Trumpets, in the sun..
Look to your neighbors, what do they have? Use their plants as a complimentary neighborhood look..or go for your own..Lantana is an excellent choice for sun and will grow like wild with just little care, esp. if you have to conserve water..it is an excellent choice for color as well as conservation..
need me..
merrissandjack@hotmail.com

Welcome to GW Stacey! If you'll send me an email at jtoothmanindadj@comcast.net I'll be happy to forward our Middle Tennessee Plant Swap Notice to you. The Fall Swap will be Saturday Oct. 15. Like Katie said, if you want to pick up a bunch of FREE plants and have a great time then make a point of putting in down on your calendar now.

Many wildflowers require a fair amount of sunlight which you don't seem to have in the front....they might work at the edges of the shade lines...but over time they will want to work out towards the sun. You might make the bed in the back yard and use it for wildflowers the first year or two....then use it for perennials later on. I have better luck sowing them in late fall or winter, so they are ready to start growing when winter rains beging. Also the birds aren't eating the seeds before they sprout.

Hostas do OK during the cooler months but may look pretty sad when it is hot and dry---unless you are into watering or exceptionally heavy mulching. They also disappear in winter.

Trying to grow anything under large thirsty trees in clay soil is one of THE hardest challenges. Several things look good early only to look battered later in the season. Trees seem to deplete most plant nutrients and helpful soil bacteria making the soil difficult for anything to grow in.

One thing that works for me is sweet woodruff. It looks better in cool weather than hot, but it still looks pretty good...nice spring blooms. It is relatively short and crowds out lots of weeds. Most nurseries have it at a reasonable price.

Lots of people in Atlanta use ivy as a ground cover under trees. I don't like it because you spend a lot of time trimming it to keep it from invading the yard or growing up the tree trunks....but it does work.

Someone else gave you good advice. Look around and see what other folks are growing under the same light and water conditions. Since cost is an issue, I wouldn't spend much money on ANYTHING until it has proven that it WILL work.

Since it isn't long until the leaves will start falling, you could use them (and maybe some of your neighbors) for mulch, then throw a thin layer of real mulch on the top to keep them in place. If you use your lawn mower to chop them up it works better. That will improve the soil quality on the top of the ground so whatever you choose will have a little better chance of surviving....and you will be able to work the soil easier.

Even grass isn't easy to get started if your soil is depleted. I like to have the ground prepared. Work in a little of your compost and sow seeds the last snow or rain of the winter. If you have some straw or a thin layer of dried grass clippings to sprinkle on top, it will reduce the amount of expensive grass seeds the birds will devour....and they will eat every seed they can see.

Let me add my 2 cents worth of welcome to the forum. Like the others, the plant swap on Oct. 15 is THE place to come...it will only take 1 time for you to become hooked to them...you will also meet the nicest people on God's green planet.

Hope to see you there.

Jan