Stop clearing! Work with the spaces you have, formality may work on your porch, but not in the woodland.
Talk to the folks at the local Georgia Native Plant Society to learn what does well in your precise situation. They can be reached at P.O. Box 422085, Atlanta 30342-2085, and may be in the phone book as well.

If you mention that you have a great set of binoculars and would love to have a garden of native plants that attract birds and bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, you will be deluged with advice from a host of houzz followers:
Frank Organ is involved in work with plants in England, most of which will do well in the partial shade in Atlanta, Benjamin Vogt who owns Monarch Gardens in Nebraska, and has written garden books including native plants;Therese Ciesinski will tell you about plants with winter berries, Anne Thornton will tell you about summer flowers, Kim Gamel knows hummingbirds and what they crave, and Debbie Ballentine knows native plants of California, most of which should do well for you, and she loves to feed the wildlife and draw them for your viewing.

And then there are the more regular advisors, who will fill your files with helpful notes. Stay natural, forget formality in the woodland garden, the critters don't want formality, and the woods beyond are a trifle informal, won't you agree - so relax and let your planting relax as well. And shine up your binoculars and bird books. (and plant lots of hostas, of course, right Mia)

cascio.offiste@gmail.com

That bamboo is going to spread all the way to my yard in E Cobb. Start by clearing THAT! Totally invasive.

Azaleas, rhododendron, and mtn laurel are great for woodland gardens. I'm also planting lots of blueberry on the edges of my woods. They need more sun than they would get deeper into the woods.