Hostas: many types to choose. Some fragrant...Some offer variegated foliage.

Impatiens: great companion to hostas. I plant the white flowering type to accent the white variegation in Hosta

Lily of the Valley....very fragrant blooms in spring. They grow with little care and multiply year after year.

Coral Bells (Heuchera)....many types to choose. The purple tinged variety does best in deeper shade than the greenish/white varieties

Enjoy your new place and gardens. .

You're welcome....Nice lot....

According to the photo it looks like ferns really respond well to the growing conditions. That tells me that you need plants that only thrive in full shade or dappled shade. So plant accordingly.

Hostas....I'd plant the non variegated types. The variegated types thrive best in partial sun. But the solid/non variegated types thrive in the conditions you have.

Coral Bells...same goes. I'd plant the purple type foliage ones. The green variegated types need more sunlight.

It looks like there's a lot of deciduous trees on your property. That said you could plant a lot of spring flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, etc. They bloom before most trees leaf out. Therefore do not need to be planted in full sun beds totally.

Do a search on this site and others. Take a few notes and figure out what will work best in your area.

Most of all, enjoy your new place. Keep photos coming of your progress.

Thanks again! The lot is actually 13 acres. The east section is the pic above and where we want to put the house. The west half has almost no ferns. Still shady but obviously not the same conditions as there are more hemlocks and hollys on that side. Should be a fun learning experience for us!

Do you have deer? If so, no hostas. Brunnera and Pulmonaria give a broad leaf, hosta-like look.

There are so many variety of ferns that would grow well for you, you could get quite a diverse look just with them! Autumn, Christmas, Japanese, Maiden Hair. Depending on your rain fall Astilibie is a great addition to the shade garden, I love the wild more natural offerings of Jack in the pulpit, solomons seal (again be sure and collect all of the varieties, wild ginger..etc. For color bleeding hearts, jacob's ladder, primrose..

We only have two acres but the lot was over grown with invasives and sapplings. Now I just do a lot of watering.

Late to this thread! Your ground cypress might be running cedar? If so, you are lucky because it doesn't grow in many places and is very difficult to transplant. I have been getting into a lot of shade gardening; my lot is mostly wooded in Marietta. I also am learning from the local native plant society too. Let me know if you have any questions!

Making trails on your 13 acres will be a lot of fun!

Also, once you clear out for a house and driveway, you will have

some sun. It won't all be shade.

Do you have the red clay of Atlanta on your new site? Any Stone Mountain type granite? I've been to Atlanta several times and not just passing through at the airport. Well, that too. Even rode MARTA! :-)

I've been playing on 10 acres for 38 years.

Wow, looks like mine, unless the lamium takes over my woods. I have blood root in my forest, bleeding heart, hostas. As for hostas I had a friend that kept telling me to divide them, but I wouldn't and now they are huge, and I love it. I also have mayapple and Solomon's seal.

You are lucky Annette, I am hoping to someday have that nice shaded yard like yours, I've been planting trees for the past several years. From your pic above you DO HAVE a woodland garden. I am now planting Rhododendrons (the native kind) under my oaks and have planted some ferns, I haven't planted any Mountain Laurel yet, but, you pretty much have what I'm trying to achieve here in my yard. So I am jealous, but, Happy for you.

Just don’t leave tall trees that will fall on your home when high winds come through.

very happy for you.

Annette, your natural surroundings look stunning! What a great project. I also recommend planting lots of early spring bulbs near the house, so you can see them from your windows. And who knows, maybe you can still have sunny spots right against the house for container plants, like tomatoes and herbs.

I love Solomons seal also, I have a patch of it.